Frontal lobe meningioma mimicking preeclampsia: A case study

Abstract

We report a case of a left frontal lobe meningioma presenting in a woman with proteinuric preeclampsia in her first term pregnancy. The patient had a background of antepartum migraines that resolved in the second trimester of pregnancy. Postpartum, she required urgent surgery and sustained convulsions after surgery. She had no residual disease and has had another successful pregnancy. This case highlights the importance of cerebral imaging in the context of an atypical clinical course of preeclampsia. Although headaches are common in pregnancy and usually benign, other, more serious, diagnoses should be considered with atypical headaches, a change in the nature of the headache, and headaches that persist despite appropriate treatment. A full neurological examination including fundoscopy to exclude papilloedema should be performed and abnormal findings require further investigation.