Usefulness of intrapartum magnetic resonance imaging for a parturient with neurofibromatosis type 1 during induction of labor for preeclampsia.

A 22-year-old woman, G3P0 at 31 weeks, 1 day gestational age, was admitted to the labor and delivery unit for induction of labor (IOL) due to preeclampsia with severe features. Her medical history included neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) and systemic lupus erythematosus with pericarditis and pericardial effusion. When labor analgesia was considered, the concern for an undiagnosed spinal neurofibroma and attendant sequelae was deliberated. After a multidisciplinary discussion, the IOL was halted during the cervical ripening phase to allow timely magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine. The MRI was negative for spinal lesions and the patient subsequently received labor analgesia via a combined spinal-epidural catheter.