The course of pregnancy in three patients with portal hypertension is
described The cause of portal hypertension was cirrhosis in one and po
rtal vein obstruction in two (one of these had previous shunt surgery)
. The patient with cirrhosis had an episode of encephalopathy at week
27, the rest of the patients had an uneventful pregnancy. All three ha
d preterm vaginal deliveries at week 33, 31 and 37 of pregnnacy The cl
inical features of pregnancy in women with portal hypertension was rev
iewed in the literature There is agreement that the risk of preterm de
livery increases and pregnancy does not influence maternal prognosis.
Vaginal delivery can be anticipated in most women and cesarean section
is reserved for obstetric indications. Pregnancy in these women shoul
d be managed in tertiary care centers with close collaboration between
perinatologists, internists and surgeons.