A cross-sectional study to evaluate the cranial magnetic resonance imaging findings in eclampsia and severe pre-eclampsia patients and its clinical correlation

Abstract

Background: Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia remains a high contributor towards maternal mortality and morbidity and also the poor perinatal outcome. Thus, timely prediction of the onset of eclampsia and starting appropriate treatment as early as possible is important for favourable maternal and perinatal outcome. However, there is a dearth of studies, especially in the Indian scenario which correlates the severity of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia and the cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, therefore, this study was planned to fill the lacuna. Material and Methods: A total of forty patients admitted in the department, of forty, twenty patients were diagnosed with eclampsia and twenty patients with severe pre-eclampsia. MRI was performed in all these 40 patients and they were divided into two groups. Group I (MRI findings positive n = 17) and Group II (MRI findings negative n = 23), the patients once had agreed to (with consent) were sent to MRI centre for MRI to be performed. All the data required along with the patients' sign and symptom were recorded in the pro foma designed for this study. Results: The difference in the study groups was statistically significant regarding headache, seizures, depression of consciousness and visual disorder (P = 0.0085,