Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome is a rare complication generally associated with headache and acute changes in blood pressure. Delay in the diagnosis and treatment may result in death or in irreversible neurological sequelae. We present three cases of PRES occurring in young women during puerperium. We report a literature review ranged from January 1990 to June 2015 describing clinical features, diagnostic and medical approach, and maternal outcome.

Proximal focal femoral deficiency (PFFD) is a rare musculoskeletal malformation that occurs in 0.11-0.2 per 10,000 live births. This congenital anomaly involves the pelvis and proximal femur with widely variable manifestations, from mild femoral shortening and hypoplasia to the absence of any functional femur and acetabular aplasia. Prenatal diagnosis of PFFD is still a challenge, but early recognition of this malformation could provide useful information to both parents and physicians concerning management and therapeutic planning. For this review, we analyzed all the cases of prenatally diagnosed PFFD that were reported in the literature from 1990 to 2014 and provide a description of the most common prenatal sonographic findings.

Therapeutic apheresis (TA) is a complex extracorporeal procedure for the treatment of several acute and chronic diseases. TA in pregnancy is considered safe for both mother and fetus and has the same indications of non-pregnant patients. TA can be used during the entire course of the pregnancy with the following purposes: (i) to treat several maternal acute and chronic conditions; (ii) to treat fetal conditions; (iii) to avoid administration of drugs potentially harmful to the fetus; and (iv) to reach a more advanced gestational age in order to prevent fetal prematurity. We report three successfully treated patients throughout pregnancy, for differential indications: thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, red blood cells alloimmunization and ulcerative colitis. Multiple courses of TA have been performed without any complications for the mother and the fetus. A review and a discussion on the particular TA implications related to maternal-fetal medicine have been reported. When approaching TA in pregnancy, clinicians have to consider the severity of disease, the strength of the indications, and the gestational age. Each case must be evaluated individually on the basis of existing evidence since, despite the increasing use, specific guidelines for apheresis in pregnancy are still lacking.

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