Case Reports

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, fetal risks, and ursodeoxycolic acid treatment

  • Erdin İlter
  • E. Can Tüfekçi
  • Osman Batur
  • Figen Temelli

Received Date: 11.09.2005 Accepted Date: 13.10.2005 Med J Bakirkoy 2005;1(2):80-82

The aim of this report is to investigate intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Here we report a 36-year-old woman with intrahepatic cholestasis. We observed a complete cure with ursodeoxycholic acid treatment. We discussed the epidemiology, pathomechanism, and therapy of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy is a rare disorder of unknown etiology with a clinically distressing maternal course with pruritus and jaundice as the chief complaints. The disease poses little medical risk to the mother, but significant risk to the fetus such as perinatal mortality, preterm delivery, fetal distress, and meconium staining. On the basis of the data in the literature and our own observation we recommend ursodeoxycholic acid treatment in the management of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

Keywords: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, fetal risks, ursodeoxycholic acid