Relationships among cortical ischemia, infarction, and hemorrhage in eclampsia.

Cerebral infarction and hemorrhage are well-known cerebrovascular complications of eclampsia. A 30-year-old woman with eclampsia developed bilateral posterior parietal and occipital hemorrhages 4 hours after computed tomography demonstrated lucencies indicative of ischemia or infarction within the same regions. The association between infarction and hemorrhage has not been previously documented by computed tomography in eclampsia. Review of the pathophysiological mechanisms and associated risk factors has prompted a more aggressive prophylactic therapeutic approach.