Stroke during pregnancy

Stroke during pregnancy poses a challenge to the rehabilitation team. A 10-year review of one hospital's records revealed five pregnancies complicated by stroke. The mean age was 29 years (range, 21 to 35 years). Cerebrovascular accidents associated with pregnancy may be due to many causes, with intracranial hemorrhage due to arteriovenous malformation or aneurysm, arterial occlusion due to thrombosis or embolus, venous thrombosis, and vasculitis representing the more common etiologies. Three of the strokes in this study were due to intracranial hemorrhage, and two were due to thrombosis secondary to CNS vasculitis. Two case studies and a review of the literature are presented. Stroke during pregnancy represents a high-risk obstetrical situation that may complicate the rehabilitation process.