Nanba Takamasa, Kashimura Hiroshi, Saura Hiroaki, Takeda Masaru
Department of Neurosurgery, Iwate Prefectural Chubu Hospital, Kitakami, Iwate, Japan.
J Neurosci Rural Pract. 2016 Jul-Sep;7(3):440-2. doi: 10.4103/0976-3147.182767.
Although posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is rarely associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage, to our knowledge, rupture of a concomitant cerebral aneurysm following PRES has not been reported. We describe a patient with atypical PRES involving the brainstem, thalamus, and periventricular white matter without cortical or subcortical edema of the parietooccipital lobe on magnetic resonance imaging, with rupture of a concomitant cerebral aneurysm. Preexisting extremely high blood pressure may trigger atypical PRES, and failure to lower blood pressure may lead to a concomitant aneurysm rupture. In the future treatment of hypertensive urgency with a recurrence of symptoms and mean arterial blood pressure >150 mmHg, it is advisable to immediately hospitalize the patient for aggressive blood pressure management, especially if PRES is suspected based on clinical and radiological features.