Late Postpartum Eclampsia: Examples and Review

Eclampsia, defined as the occurrence of seizures in pregnant women, usually in the setting of preeclampsia and in the absence of other neurologic disorders, occurs mainly before, during, or within 48 hours after delivery. When convulsions occur later postpartum, diagnosis is difficult and treatment disputed. We review the entity of late postpartum eclampsia and report 2 examples in which the serum levels of antiangiogenic and angiogenic proteins were measured. Target Audience: Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Family Physicians Learning Objectives: After completion of this article, the reader should be able to explain that late postpartum eclampsia can occur more than 48 hours and less than 4 weeks post delivery, state that it is important to have a comprehensive differential diagnosis, and recall that the signs and symptoms of postpartum eclampsia may differ from antepartum or intrapartum preeclampsia/eclampsia.