Successful pregnancy in a woman with secondary biliary cirrhosis with portal hypertension from recurrent pyogenic cholangitis. A case report.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy in women with secondary biliary cirrhosis due to recurrent pyogenic cholangitis is extremely rare. Little information is available on the effect of pregnancy on the disease and vice versa. CASE: A patient who had secondary biliary cirrhosis due to recurrent pyogenic cholangitis complicated by splenomegaly and portal hypertension had a successful pregnancy. Although she had a history of esophageal variceal bleeding before this pregnancy, there was no such bleeding during pregnancy. She had an uneventful antenatal course except that her liver enzyme level fluctuated slightly. The serum bilirubin level increased during the third trimester of pregnancy but returned to the prepregnant level after delivery.
CONCLUSION: Termination of pregnancy may not be the only option for management. The management protocol for patients with primary biliary cirrhosis complicating pregnancy, which includes regular fetal surveillance and monitoring of maternal liver function, should be considered for pregnant women with secondary biliary cirrhosis.