Pregnancy following the surgical treatment of portal hypertension

Abstract

The course and results of 10 pregnancies in 7 patients who had undergone surgical treatment up to 9 years previously for portal hypertension are described. Four patients had extrahepatic portal hypertension, two had noncirrhotic intrahepatic portal hypertension, and one had frank biliary cirrhosis. Eight live babies were produced with no maternal deaths; the commonest complication was anemia during pregnancy, but only one patient bled from esophageal varices after shunting. Pregnancy after decompression operations and in extrahepatic obstruction is reviewed, and the particular hazards associated with pregnancy are discussed.