Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology, September 1998, Volume 18, Issue 3

Transient Cortical Blindness in Preeclampsia with Indication of Generalized Vascular Endothelial Damage

A 26-year-old woman with twin fetuses of 28 weeks' gestational age had symptoms of preeclampsia and was admitted to the hospital for observation. Nine days later, after reporting a severe headache, the patient experienced loss of vision in both eyes. An emergency computed tomographic brain scan was performed to rule out intracranial hemorrhage, and cesarean delivery was performed. Twelve hours after the operation, the patient's vision improved gradually and returned to normal after 24 hours. The placenta was submitted to pathologic examination, and magnetic resonance imaging was performed 4 days after birth. Recent thrombosis observed in the histologic section of the placenta, ischemic changes in the brain seen in the computed tomographic and magnetic resonance scans, and severe proteinuria manifested clinically suggest vascular endothelial damage as the underlying mechanism in this case of preeclampsia-related transient cortical blindness.