Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 January 2024
The hormonal changes of pregnancy induce changes in the liver’s anatomy, physiology, and function. These can lead to diagnostic difficulties if liver disease is present during pregnancy. For example, spider nevi and palmar erythema are signs of liver disease but exist in some healthy pregnant women. However, liver size is unchanged in pregnancy, so the presence of hepatomegaly suggests liver disease. Even though the proportion of cardiac output flowing to the liver is reduced by 35%, hepatic blood flow remains unchanged from the nonpregnant state because of the overall increase in blood volume and cardiac output associated with pregnancy.
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