Introduction: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) was first described by Hinchey in 1996, when he observed that some patients presented with an acute reversible picture comprising mental alterations, loss of vision and headache.
Objective: To present the clinical case of a patient with atypical posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome.
Clinical case: A 19-year-old woman, 36.5 weeks of gestation, presented with a clinical picture of 4 hours of evolution with high intensity stabbing pain in the epigastrium associated with moderate intensity global headache, accompanied by a self-resolved convulsive episode. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed bilateral intensity changes in the frontoparietal cortico-subcortical regions, lenticular nuclei and brain stem region with restrictive pattern in some lesions, and diffusion was indicative of ischemic vascular involvement with diffuse edema, in addition, parietooccipital paramedial hemorrhagic foci were observed bilaterally, suggesting a possible PRES.
Conclusions: PRES should be considered as a diagnosis in a previously healthy pregnant woman who has sudden convulsive episodes during labor. The exact etiology of PRES during pregnancy is not entirely clear and remains controversial. Clinical presentation and MRI are used for diagnosis. Immediate treatment should be focused on controlling the underlying cause or pathology, the main one being hypertension.
