Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome due to pituitrin for bronchiectasis with hemoptysis--a case report.

Reversible posterior encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a relatively rare clinical disorder characterized by reversible subcortical vasogenic edema. Pituitrin is a common medication for hemoptysis. No cases of PRES induced by pituitrin have been reported. A 52-year-old woman with bronchiectasis and hemoptysis developed hypertension, dizziness, seizures, and hemiplegia during treatment with pituitrin. Head magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple abnormal signal shadows in bilateral parieto-occipital cortex and subcortex, which was diagnosed as PRES. The patient's blood pressure returned to normal with medication, and the patient's symptoms subsequently eased and the MRI changes improved. This is the first reported case, without a history of hypertension, of the treatment of PRES secondary to bronchiectasis with hemoptysis with pituitrin. Our case report suggests that pituitrin may cause damage to the central nervous system, such as PRES. Patients who experience dizziness or other neurological symptoms during treatment with pituitrin should consider this rare complication.