Rupture of the liver associated with pregnancy: a review of the literature and report of 2 cases

Abstract

Spontaneous rupture of the liver associated with pregnancy is a rare and grave complication. The maternal mortality is 59 per cent, the fetal mortality 62 per cent. The only hope of salvage is recognition of the characteristic signs and symptoms with prompt surgical intervention. Eighty-nine cases are reviewed and two cases are added, one in the puerperium who died, and a second, a primigravida who survived but who had residual hypertension.