Gunnar Teilum

Jaundice During Pregnancy

During the last 10 years, hepatitis has been very prevalent in Denmark and there have been a large number of cases associated with pregnancy. This paper analyses a comparatively large series of cases from the Department of Obstetrics B of the Rigshospital, in an attempt to answer the following questions: 1. Were these jaundiced pregnant women suffering from hepatitis? 2. Does hepatitis present any particular features when associated

Biopsy Studies on the Liver in Pregnancy: II. Liver Biopsy on Normal Pregnant Women*

,\fter IVEHSEN & ROHOLM had elaborated a technique for biopsy of the liver which was tried out in over 1000 cases on a medical patient material and was found practically to involve no risk whateyer, i t seemed justifiable also to perform biopsy of the liver on normal pregnant women. The purpose of this was primarily through histological studies to estimate to what extent the concept ))pregnancy liver)) may be justifiable. Originally i t was TARNIER (1856), LAENNEC and BLOT who from their histological studies on women who died of puerperal fever assumed the presence of an vinsuffisance hkpatique)) in normal pregnancy. This view of the FRENCH school was strongly supported by HOFBAUER who in 1908 reported some quite definite massive histological changes as criteria of the presence of a d3chwangerschaftlebero. Subsequent investigators have not been able to find these histological changes, and now the concensus of opinion is that they do not occur. Many of the numerous physiological and biochemical studies carried out on the function of the liver in pregnancy indicate, however, that the metabolic processes taking place in the liver in pregnant women deviate from the normal conditions in several