Successful liver transplantation and delivery in a woman with fulminant hepatic failure occurring during the second trimester of pregnancy

Abstract

Background: Severe liver dysfunction occurring during pregnancy is an unusual but dramatic event that poses special technical and ethical issues because it involves two lives.

Methods and results: We report the case of a 35-year-old woman with cryptogenic fulminant hepatic failure who underwent successful orthotopic liver transplantation at 22 weeks of pregnancy. After a relatively uneventful post-operative course she delivered a normal offspring at the 27th week of gestation. There were no obstetrical complications and neonatal outcome was excellent. After a year of follow-up, the patient is doing well,and the newborn has exhibited normal psychomotor and weight/height development.

Conclusion: This case illustrates the challenge of treating fulminant hepatic failure during pregnancy and demonstrates that liver transplantation is a feasible therapeutic option for treatment of patients with this condition, allowing successful completion of pregnancy.