Abdominal pain and preeclampsia: sonographic findings in the maternal liver

Pathophysiology and pregnancy outcomes of ascites in preeclampsia-a scoping review

Preeclampsia is a multisystem disorder associated with defective trophoblast invasion, maternal syndrome, and capillary endothelial leak. The presence of ascites/third space fluid accumulation increases the risk of maternal morbidity and mortality. The current criteria/guidelines of preeclampsia do not establish the presence of ascites as a marker of severity or recognize the timing and need for early delivery despite associated complications. Medline and Embase databases were searched to identify relevant literature, reported up to December 2023, regarding the pathophysiology, pregnancy outcome, and management of preeclampsia complicated with ascites. A total of 5 studies on pathophysiology and eight on pregnancy outcomes met the inclusion criteria, with 41 case reports on ascites in preeclampsia. The etiopathogenesis for the development of ascites in preeclampsia includes endothelial damage, capillary hyperpermeability, release of vasoconstrictive agents, reduced intravascular oncotic pressure, and raised intraabdominal pressure. The presence of ascites represents the extreme form of microvascular damage, which also correlates with the raised sFlt-1 levels in this condition. The adverse pregnancy outcomes include increased risk of congestive heart failure, eclampsia, renal failure, disseminated intravascular coagulation, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and maternal death. The presence of ascites in preeclampsia is associated with the deterioration of the maternal condition. Hence, it is indicative of preeclampsia with severe features and requires vigilant monitoring, and prompt delivery may be considered.

EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines on the management of liver diseases in pregnancy

Liver diseases in pregnancy comprise both gestational liver disorders and acute and chronic hepatic disorders occurring coincidentally in pregnancy. Whether related to pregnancy or pre-existing, liver diseases in pregnancy are associated with a significant risk of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Thus, the European Association for the Study of Liver Disease invited a panel of experts to develop clinical practice guidelines aimed at providing recommendations, based on the best available evidence, for the management of liver disease in pregnancy for hepatologists, gastroenterologists, obstetric physicians, general physicians, obstetricians, specialists in training and other healthcare professionals who provide care for this patient population.

Preeclampsia and eclampsia: the conceptual evolution of a syndrome

Preeclampsia, one of the most enigmatic complications of pregnancy, is considered a pregnancy-specific disorder caused by the placenta and cured only by delivery. This article traces the condition from its origins-once thought to be a disease of the central nervous system, recognized by the occurrence of seizures (ie, eclampsia)-to the present time when preeclampsia is conceptualized primarily as a vascular disorder. We review the epidemiologic data that led to the recommendation to use diastolic hypertension and proteinuria as diagnostic criteria, as their combined presence was associated with an increased risk of fetal death and the birth of small-for-gestational-age neonates. However, preeclampsia is a multisystemic disorder with protean manifestations, and the condition can be present even in the absence of hypertension and proteinuria. Toxins gaining access to the maternal circulation have been proposed to mediate the clinical manifestations-hence, the term "toxemia of pregnancy," which was used for several decades. The search for putative toxins has challenged investigators for more than a century, and a growing body of evidence suggests that products of an ischemic or a stressed placenta are responsible for the vascular changes that characterize this syndrome. The discovery that the placenta can produce antiangiogenic factors, which regulate endothelial cell function and induce intravascular inflammation, has been a major step forward in the understanding of preeclampsia. We view the release of antiangiogenic factors by the placenta as an adaptive response to improve uterine perfusion by modulating endothelial function and maternal cardiovascular performance. However, this homeostatic response can become maladaptive and lead to damage of target organs during pregnancy or the postpartum period. Early-onset preeclampsia has many features in common with atherosclerosis, whereas late-onset preeclampsia seems to result from a mismatch of fetal demands and maternal supply, that is, a metabolic crisis. Preeclampsia, as it is understood today, is essentially vascular dysfunction unmasked or caused by pregnancy. A subset of patients diagnosed with preeclampsia are at greater risk of the subsequent development of hypertension, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, vascular dementia, and end-stage renal disease. However, these adverse events may be the result of a preexisting vascular pathologic process; it is not known if the occurrence of preeclampsia increases the baseline risk. Therefore, the understanding, prediction, prevention, and treatment of preeclampsia are healthcare priorities.

Gallbladder wall thickening in a woman with postpartum preeclampsia: A case report

Background

Preeclampsia (PE) is hallmarked by dysfunction of various organs; therefore, its diagnosis can be challenging, especially when patients present with right upper abdominal pain. Herein, we present a case of postpartum gallbladder wall thickening (GBWT) that led to a diagnosis of PE, rather than hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome or gallbladder and biliary disease.

Case Presentation

A 31-year-old postpartum woman presented with a fever, hypertension, headache, and right upper abdominal pain. HELLP syndrome and intracranial hemorrhage were initially suspected, due to the combination of symptoms and elevated levels of aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and lactate dehydrogenase. However, hemolysis and thrombocytopenia were absent, and a computed tomography (CT) scan of the head did not indicate the presence of intracranial hemorrhage. Further, transabdominal ultrasound and CT revealed GBWT (edematous gallbladder); CT also revealed an enlarged heart, lung edema, pleural effusion, and ascites. Thus, PE, rather than HELLP syndrome or gallbladder or biliary disease, was diagnosed based on gestational hypertension and proteinuria, new-onset headache, liver dysfunction, and edema in several organs, including the lung. Nicardipine treatment quickly improved hypertension and headache, and, over time, the patient's urination increased, and edema subsided throughout the body. Furthermore, laboratory results improved, and the patient was discharged on postpartum day 11.

Conclusion

Postpartum gallbladder wall thickening can be a diagnostic sign of PE.

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Preeclampsia can cause edema in several organs.

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We present a case of postpartum gallbladder wall thickening.

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Gallbladder wall thickening can aid in the diagnosis of preeclampsia in cases with right upper abdominal pain.

The role of hepatic sinusoidal obstruction in the pathogenesis of the hepatic involvement in HELLP syndrome: Exploring the literature

AIM

This study aims to determine, based on existing data, whether the mechanism resulting in liver dysfunction in HELLP syndrome resembles that in Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome (SOS).

BACKGROUND

HELLP syndrome is a serious pregnancy disorder with high maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality rates. Because of poor insight in its pathophysiology, particularly that of the liver involvement, clinical management is limited to symptomatic treatment, often followed by termination of pregnancy. SOS is a rare, potentially life-threatening complication of radio and/ or chemotherapy in the preparation of hematopoietic cell transplantation. The etiology of liver dysfunction in SOS is - unlike that in HELLP syndrome - better-understood and seems to be initiated by direct toxic damage and demise of endothelial cells, causing hepatic sinusoidal obstruction and ischemia.

METHODS

We searched Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane for reports on the etiology of HELLP and SOS. This yielded 73 articles, with 14 additional reports from the references listed in these articles.

RESULTS

The dysfunctional placenta in women developing HELLP initiates a cascade of events that eventually results in liver dysfunction. The placenta releases, besides anti-angiogenetic factors, also necrotic debris and cell-free DNA, a mixture that not only induces systemic endothelial dysfunction as in preeclampsia, but also a systemic inflammatory response. The latter aggravates the endothelio-toxic effects in the systemic cardiovascular bed, amplifying the already increased pro-thrombotic conditions. Particularly in microcirculations with extremely low shear forces, such as in the hepatic sinusoids, this will facilitate microthrombi formation and fibrin deposition eventually resulting in obstruction of the sinusoids similar as in SOS. The latter causes ischemic damage and progressive demise of hepatocytes.

CONCLUSION

The available information supports the concept that the liver damage in HELLP and SOS results from sinusoidal ischemia, presumably resulting from partially overlapping pathophysiological mechanisms.

Conservative Management of Postpartum HELLP Syndrome and Intraparenchymal Liver Hematoma; A Case Report

The HELLP syndrome is an important variant of pre-eclampsia which is known by triad of hemolysis (H), elevated liver enzymes (EL) and low platelet count (LP). Intraparenchymal liver hematoma is a rare and important complication of HELLP syndrome which is a life threatening condition. The incidence of intraparenchymal hematoma of the liver has been reported to vary from 1 in each 40,000 to 250,000 deliveries worldwide. Herein we report a case of intraparenchymal liver hematoma following HELLP syndrome. An 18 year- old woman with moderate to severe preeclampsia after delivery, presented with Right upper quadrant (RUQ) pain and tachycardia and significant drop in hemoglobin level. Ultrasonography revealed intraparenchymal liver hematoma. This finding was also confirmed by computerized tomography (CT)-scan. Conservative treatment was applied and the patient improved without need of any surgical intervention. Spontaneous hepatic hematoma should always be considered as a life threatening and important complication of HELLP syndrome during pregnancy and it can be managed conservatively in a hemodynamically stable patient.

Differential microRNA expression profile in the plasma of preeclampsia and normal pregnancies

Preeclampsia is a common disease in pregnant women that can only be diagnosed from 20 weeks after fertilization. Developing early diagnosis markers is urgent and would be helpful in selecting appropriate treatment strategies. The present study aimed to identify the differential expression profiles of microRNAs in the plasma between patients with preeclampsia and normal pregnancies using microarray methods. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), the differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) identified from the microarray analysis were validated. A total of 3 miRNAs, including hsa-miR-1304-5p, hsa-miR-320a and hsa-miR-5002-5p, were upregulated in the plasma of patients with preeclampsia pregnancies. Examination of the functions of these miRNAs demonstrated that they were involved in cell proliferation, indicating that preeclampsia affected this pathway. In addition, 26 downregulated miRNAs were identified by microarray methods. The functions of these miRNAs included immune regulation, vascular development, cancer pathology and pathology of other disease (tuberculosis, oligozoospermia, psoriasis and Alzheimer's disease). Using qPCR, the most differentially expressed miRNAs were confirmed to be hsa-miR-1304-5p, hsa-miR-320a and hsa-miR-5002-5p, which were upregulated, as well as hsa-miR-188-3p, hsa-miR-211-5p, hiv1-miR-TAR-3p, hsa-miR-4432 and hsa-miR-4498 that were significantly downregulated in the plasma of preeclampsia patients. The present findings may be useful in the development of early diagnosis markers and treatment targets for preeclampsia.

Complicated Acute Pyelonephritis With Extrarenal Manifestations

The sonographic features of extrarenal manifestations of complicated acute pyelonephritis (APN) have rarely been reported. A case of severe APN in a young woman is presented with the imaging workup done exclusively by conventional sonography using color and power Doppler. Discussion places a focus on the imaging spectrum and clinical significance of the extrarenal manifestations. The hepatobiliary findings of APN appear to signify accompanying sepsis and gravity of the condition, and gallbladder wall thickening must not be misdiagnosed as acute cholecystitis.

Imaging of gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases during pregnancy

Imaging of the abdomen for suspected gastrointestinal and hepatic disease during pregnancy is assuming greater importance. Like clinical evaluation, imaging of the abdomen and pelvis is challenging but is vitally important to prevent delayed diagnosis or unnecessary interventions. Also choice of imaging modality is influenced by factors which could impact on fetal safety such as the use of ionising radiation and magnetic resonance imaging. This article discusses important issues in imaging of gastrointestinal and hepatic disease in pregnancy and the puerperium.

Abdominal Imaging Features of HELLP Syndrome: A 10-Year Retrospective Review

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to describe the abdominal imaging features associated with HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets) syndrome, a complication of pregnancy.

CONCLUSION

The abdominal imaging features of HELLP syndrome include intraparenchymal and perihepatic hematomas and hemoperitoneum as noted on sonography, CT, and angiography.