Neurology International (May 2009)

An unusual finding of brain magnetic resonance imaging in a hypertensive patient

  • Harris A. Ngow,
  • Wan Mohd Nowalid Wan Khairina,
  • Bin Basri Hamidon

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4081/ni.2009.e3
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 1, no. 1
pp. e3 – e3

Abstract

Read online

Brain edema in patients with hypertensive encephalopathy frequently affects the parieto-occipital white matter. Hypertensive encephalopathy is thus included as a differential diagnosis in reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome. Diffuse white matter involvement rarely occurs. We report a 41-year old woman with hypertensive encephalopathy with diffuse and non-enhancing white matter hyper-intensities throughout the whole brain on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These hyperintensities spared the grey matter on T2-weighted and FLAIR sequence. These unusual finding on brain MRI was attributed to severe vasogenic cerebral edema resulting from accelerated hypertension.

Keywords