[Management of obstetric cholestasis in France: A national survey of obstetrical practice]

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is the most commonly encountered pregnancy-specific liver disease. This condition, with no proven maternal morbidity, has been associated with an increased risk of prematurity and intrauterine fetal death. There is, to date, no scientific obstetrical guideline for clinical practice in France. The objective of our study was to precise, in this situation, how French obstetricians manage patients suffering from ICP.

We carried out, during 2010, a national descriptive practice survey of ICP management in France in association with the "Collège national des gynécologues-obstétriciens français". An inquiry form with 27 multiple-choice questions was sent to all obstetricians and gynecologist officiating in a maternity hospital recorded by the French Ministry of Health. The participants answered questions regarding diagnosis, perinatal management and treatment of ICP. Only the first answer received from each maternity hospital was analyzed.

Of the 575 maternity hospitals, 275 (41.6%) responded after one mail recovery. Among them, almost half used a standardized management protocol for ICP. In most of the cases, perinatal management was performed by obstetricians alone (73%), and in only 20% of the cases in collaboration with the specialist in hepatology. Induction of labor at 37-38 weeks was the most common policy for the majority of respondents (92.4%).

This is the first French national survey for ICP management. This study demonstrated that ICP is, in most of the cases, managed by the obstetrician alone, and that fetal risks warrants an active management with induction of labor in late pregnancy.