Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2017 Nov 29;11(3):742-747.
doi: 10.1159/000481159. eCollection 2017 Sep-Dec.

Levonorgestrel-Releasing Intrauterine Device-Related Acute Liver Injury

Hira Imad Cheema  1 , Ashutosh Gupta  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Levonorgestrel-Releasing Intrauterine Device-Related Acute Liver Injury

Hira Imad Cheema et al. Case Rep Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Oral contraceptives have long been associated with liver injury. However, very little attention is paid to the metabolic side effects of hormone-releasing intrauterine devices (IUDs). These devices are generally considered safe and commonly used. We report for the first time acute liver injury associated with a levonorgestrel-releasing IUD. Our patient did not have any comorbidities that could have caused or exacerbated liver injury. A detailed workup and liver biopsy remained negative for any other potential cause of liver injury. The patient's symptoms resolved with removal of the device. She remained symptom free on subsequent outpatient follow-ups.

Keywords: Acute liver injury; Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Histology from the liver biopsy showing panacinar hepatitis. The arrow shows intrahepatic globules.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Histology from the liver biopsy showing severe inflammation and interface hepatitis. The short arrow shows plasma cells and the long arrow eosinophil clusters.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Histology from the liver biopsy showing hepatocellular cholestasis. The arrows show bile lakes and bile plugs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Shapiro MA, Lewis JH. Causality assessment of drug-induced hepatotoxicity: promises and pitfalls. Clin Liver Dis. 2007;11:477–505. - PubMed
    1. Xu JJ, Diaz D, O’Brien PJ. Applications of cytotoxicity assays and pre-lethal mechanistic assays for assessment of human hepatotoxicity potential. Chem Biol Interact. 2004;150:115–128. - PubMed
    1. Westphal JF, Brogard JM. Antibacterials and antifungal agents. In: Kaplowitz N, DeLeve LD, editors. Drug-Induced Liver Disease. Strasbourg: Informa Healthcare; 2003. pp. 471–492.
    1. Heresbach D, Deugvier Y, Brissot P, Bourel M. Dilatations sinusoidales et prise de contraceptifs oraux. A propos d'un cas avec revue de la littérature. Ann Gastroenterol Hepatol (Paris) 1988;24:189–191. - PubMed
    1. Elouni B, Ben Salem C, Zamy M, Ganne N, Beaugrand M, Bouraoui K, Biour M. Cytolytic hepatitis possibly related to levonorgestrel/ethinylestradiol oral contraceptive use: 2 case reports. Ann Pharmacother. 2010;44:2035–2037. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources