OBJECTIVE:

To describe the clinical and imaging characteristics of patients with posterior reversible encephalopathy seen in an intensive care unit.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional case series study performed in patients with a diagnosis of reversible posterior encephalopathy secondary to hypertensive disorders attended in the intensive care unit of the Hospital Universitario de la Samaritana, Bogotá, Colombia, between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2020.

RESULTS:

We found 12 patients with reversible posterior encephalopathy; 8 of them with onset during the immediate puerperium and 4 in the mediate puerperium. Eclampsia was diagnosed in 6 patients during pregnancy and in 5 during the postpartum period. The most common symptoms were headache and convulsions. Imaging findings showed edema most frequently in the posterior lobes of the brain, especially in the bilateral occipital and parietooccipital lobes. All patients were discharged from the hospital without irreversible neurological lesions.

CONCLUSIONS:

Reversible posterior encephalopathy is uncommon but should be considered in patients with neurologic symptoms concomitant with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Although the sample is small, it can be mentioned that radiological diagnosis with brain magnetic resonance imaging, timely treatment and multidisciplinary interventions decrease the risk of irreversible neurological lesions and fatal outcome.