Objective To investigate the early diagnosis and management of eclampsia complicated with encephalopathy and to reduce the maternal mortality rate. Methods A retrospective study was carried out on 8 cases with encephalopathy caused by eclampsia between Jan. 1988～Dec. 2002. Results There were 8 cases (22.2%) complicated with encephalopathy in 36 eclampsia patients. Four cases presented with cerebral hemorrhage,2 with cerebral infarct,1 with cerebral edema and 1 with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Two women died(25%). Conclusions The prognosis of eclampsia patient complicated with encephalopathy can be greatly improved by early diagnosis and proper treatment based on the clinical manifestations and computed tomographic scan.