Affiliations: Department of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Makassed
General Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon | Department of Neurology, Makassed General Hospital,
Beirut, Lebanon | Department of Pediatrics, Children's Cancer Center of
Lebanon, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon | Department of Internal Medicine, Division of
Hematology Oncology, Makassed General Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon
Note: [] Correspondence: Dr. Ahmad O. Ibrahim, Head Division of
Hematology Oncology and Director of Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Makassed
General Hospital, Beirut, New Road, Lebanon. Tel.: +961 3 233560; +961 1
636541; Fax: +961 1 646589; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a recently
described clinic-radiological entity. It has been associated with a number of
medical conditions, such as eclampsia, arterial hypertension, renal failure,
and vasculitis. Drugs causing immunosuppression such as cyclosporine A,
tacrolimus, cancer chemotherapy, and steroids have been implicated in the
etiology of PRES. Its pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Clinical findings
are not sufficiently specific; however, neuroimaging is often characteristic.
Few cases of PRES were reported in children who were treated for cancer, most
of whom had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This case-report describes PRES
following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in a child with acute
lymphocytic leukemia.
