Anesth Pain Med.  2019 Apr;14(2):197-201. 10.17085/apm.2019.14.2.197.

Hepatic failure caused by acute fatty liver of pregnancy treated by orthotopic liver transplantation: A case report

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Aneshesiology and Pain Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seongnam, Korea. anesthpark@cha.ac.kr

Abstract

Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) is unusual but can potentially progress to overwhelming liver failure, resulting in maternal and fetal death. AFLP is characterized by the accumulation of microvesicular fat within hepatocytes. We report the case of a 37-year-old woman at 36 weeks' gestation with a twin pregnancy who was admitted with the diagnosis of intrauterine fetal death of one baby. The patient showed profile of AFLP on her laboratory findings and underwent emergency cesarean section. Then she progressed to cryptogenic fulminant hepatic failure and underwent successful orthotopic liver transplantation on 9th day of admission. This case demonstrates that liver transplantation is a feasible therapeutic option for the treatment of patients with this condition.

Keyword

Acute liver failure; Cesarean section; Fatty liver; General anesthesia; Liver transplantation

MeSH Terms

Adult
Anesthesia, General
Cesarean Section
Diagnosis
Emergencies
Fatty Liver*
Female
Fetal Death
Hepatocytes
Humans
Liver Failure*
Liver Failure, Acute
Liver Transplantation*
Liver*
Pregnancy*
Pregnancy, Twin

Reference

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