Hepatic Disorders Severely Affected by Pregnancy: Medical and Obstetric Management

Hepatic disorders severely affected by pregnancy include choledochal cysts that can be compressed by the gravid uterus and potentially rupture; hepatic adenomas that exhibit accelerated growth because of hyperestrogenemia during pregnancy; acute intermittent porphyria that is exacerbated by increased female sex hormones during pregnancy; splenic artery aneurysms that can rupture during pregnancy because of compression by the gravid uterus; Budd-Chiari syndrome that is promoted by hyperestrogenemia; and hepatitis E and herpes simplex hepatitis that are particularly severe during pregnancy. Hepatic disorders unique to pregnancy include intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy; acute fatty liver of pregnancy; preeclampsia and eclampsia; and hemolysis, elevated liver function tests, and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome. Most disorders uniquely related to pregnancy are treated by prompt fetal delivery as soon as the fetus is sufficiently mature.