[Bismuth encephalopathy in pregnant women. Apropos of a case]

Abstract

A case of bismuth encephalopathy in a pregnant woman is reported. The neurological picture, characterized especially by myoclonic attacks, is no different from that found in the non-pregnant state. The principal observations are on three points: - the need to think of a toxic origin of convulsions in pregnancy, - the onset of threatened premature labour during repeated convulsive crises, - the passage of bismuth across the placenta : this has been proved by the levels found in the amniotic fluid (55 mcg per 1,000) and in the cord blood (320 mcg per 1,000). The child, who was normal at birth, developed a transient hypotonus which seemed attributable more to the treatment of the mother with Diazepam and pheno-barbitone than to her having taken bismuth during the pregnancy.