title: Pregnancy after liver transplantation. How safe? A retrospective case-series study in a large tertiary hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study pregnancies achieved after liver transplantation in terms of obstetric complications, maternal, neonatal outcomes and post-pregnancy allograft function.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study of prospectively collected data was conducted, enrolling women with a history of liver transplantation performed in the Transplantation Unit of our hospital that delivered in our department. Obstetric characteristics and antenatal complications were reviewed. Apgar score, admission to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and need for emergency intubation were analyzed. Outcomes of regular follow-up concerning all complications of allograft function observed after pregnancy were also studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were five cases of allograft recipients delivering their pregnancies during the study period. Mean maternal age was 32.2 ± 5 years. Interval from transplantation to delivery ranged from 40 to 219 months. Mean gestational week at delivery was 34.4 ± 2.5 weeks. Antenatal complications observed were pre-eclampsia (3 of 5 cases) and vaginal bleeding (1 of 5 cases). All preterm neonates were admitted to NICU, but no emergency intubation was demanded. One patient died a month after delivery, while three others were complicated by implant dysfunction up to 5 years after the delivery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pregnancy in a liver transplant recipient is associated with complications for mother and infant.
authors.affiliation: a 3rd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Thessaloniki , Greece and.
authors.forename: Chrysoula
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Margioula-Siarkou
authors.affiliation: a 3rd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Thessaloniki , Greece and.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kalogiannidis
authors.affiliation: a 3rd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Thessaloniki , Greece and.
authors.forename: Stamatios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Petousis
authors.affiliation: a 3rd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Thessaloniki , Greece and.|b Organ Transplantation Unit, Hippokration General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Thessaloniki , Greece.
authors.forename: Constantin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kubanangidi
authors.affiliation: b Organ Transplantation Unit, Hippokration General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Thessaloniki , Greece.
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fouzas
authors.affiliation: b Organ Transplantation Unit, Hippokration General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Thessaloniki , Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Imvrios
authors.affiliation: b Organ Transplantation Unit, Hippokration General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Thessaloniki , Greece.
authors.forename: Vasileios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Papanikolaou
authors.affiliation: a 3rd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Thessaloniki , Greece and.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rousso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001034:Apgar Score; D001724:Birth Weight; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents
keywords: Allograft function; liver transplantation; neonatal outcomes; obstetric complications; pregnancy