RATIONALE: Hodgkin lymphoma, a lymphatic system cancer, is treated by chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a rare neurotoxic effect associated with several drugs and systemic conditions. This case study emphasizes the potential risks of intensive chemotherapy regimens and postulates the impact of the circle of Willis variants on the heterogeneity of hemispheric lesions in PRES.

PATIENT CONCERNS: A 42-year-old woman diagnosed with stage IIA nodular sclerosing Hodgkin lymphoma and chronic thrombocytopenia presented after 6 years of initial diagnosis and 4 years post-haploidentical transplant. She underwent planned chemotherapy with ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide.

DIAGNOSES: She developed an alteration in her mental status. A computerized tomography scan and angiogram of the head and neck revealed findings consistent with PRES and a left fetal-type posterior cerebral artery with an aplastic A1 segment of the left anterior cerebral artery. One hour later she was found comatose with clinical sequelae of an uncal herniation.

INTERVENTIONS: Subsequent events led to emergent intubation, and administration of 23.4% hypertonic saline. A repeat computerized tomography scan showed a right intraparenchymal hemorrhage with fluid-fluid levels measuring up to 4.7 cm, bilateral subarachnoid hemorrhage, right uncal herniation, and 15 mm of leftward midline shift. She emergently underwent a right decompressive hemi-craniectomy.

OUTCOMES: An magnetic resonance imaging of the brain demonstrated bilateral cytotoxic edema involving the parieto-occipital lobes. Despite interventions, the patient's neurological condition deteriorated, leading to a declaration of brain death on the 8th day.

LESSONS: This case underscores the importance of recognizing the severe neurological complications, including PRES, associated with chemotherapeutic treatments in Hodgkin lymphoma. PRES may also be exacerbated by coagulopathies such as thrombocytopenia in this case. The circle of Willis variants may influence cerebral blood flow, autoregulation, and other factors of hemodynamics, leading to increased susceptibility to both radiographic lesion burden and the worst clinical outcomes.