Hypertensive crisis and posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES)

Abstract

The urgency and intensity of therapeutic response to a hypertensive crisis are governed by the presence or absence of acute end-organ damage, which define hypertensive emergency and hypertensive urgency, respectively. In case of hypertensive urgency a slow and moderate lowering of blood pressure by oral antihypertensive agents seems adequate, while the approach to hypertensive emergency has to be tailored to the specific type of organ failure. Optimal blood pressure management in the context of neurovascular emergencies is made difficult by contradictory data from observational and interventional studies. It might prove advantageous to individualize treatment according to characteristics such as the location of persistent vessel occlusion or the presence of collaterals. Reversible posterior encephalopathy may present with atypical features that might make diagnosis difficult. Clevidipine might be a welcome supplement to current intravenous antihypertensive agents in neurological disease.