Neurological disorders in pregnancy.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Neurological disorders are common in women of childbearing age and can lead to maternal death, as evident from previous reports of the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths in England and Wales. In the last report (1997-1999) alone, there were 34 deaths indirectly caused by neurological disorders.

RECENT FINDINGS: With the new developments in drugs, investigations and research, clinicians are now more able than ever before to diagnose and treat some disorders. A recent example is the French Study Group on Stroke in Pregnancy.

SUMMARY: This paper reviews the current concepts and outlines appropriate management of conditions such as epilepsy, headache, benign intracranial hypertension, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis, Bell's palsy and cerebrovascular disorders.