Maternal cerebral blood flow changes associated with eclampsia.

To determine whether there is a difference in middle cerebral blood flow velocity in eclampsia compared to a match control of severe preeclamptic patients in the peripartum phase. Three eclamptic and six preeclamptic women had maternal middle cerebral blood flow velocity assessed antepartum and at 24 and 48 hours postpartum. We compared the effect of an eclamptic convulsion on cerebral blood flow velocity changes using analysis of variance. Cerebral blood flow velocity was significantly higher in eclamptic than in preeclamptic women (p < 0.01) and rose significantly in the post-convulsive phase. Cerebral blood flow velocity was significantly elevated in eclamptic women compared with preeclamptic women in a setting of minimal change in mean arterial pressure.