Delivery Method in Patients After Liver or Kidney Transplantation

Pregnancy following renal or liver transplant is safe for the mother, fetus, and allograft if standard practice guidelines are strictly followed. Cesarean delivery is often required for the safety of the mother and child. The aim of this paper was the evaluation of delivery method in patients after liver (G1) and kidney transplantation (G2) in comparison with the population of healthy pregnant women (G0).

Retrospective analysis included 51 (G1) and 59 (G2) women who delivered between 2000 and 2016. Control group (G0) consisted of 170 nontransplanted patients, who delivered between 2014 and 2016. The results were compared using nonparametric and parametric tests (Fisher exact test, t test). The SAS 9.2 was used for the analysis.

The rate of cesarean delivery was high in all pregnancies following kidney (G1 = 80.4%) or liver transplantation (G2 = 67.8%) compared with control group (G0 = 44.1%; P < .05). The most common indication for cesarean delivery in G1 was gestational hypertension/preeclampsia (n = 18; 43.9%), threatening intrauterine asphyxia (n = 12; 29.3%), and failure to progress (n = 2; 4.9%). The most common indications for cesarean delivery in G2 were threatening intrauterine asphyxia (n = 14; 35%), failure to progress (n = 9; 22.5%), and gestational hypertension/preeclampsia (n = 2; 5%).

Cesarean delivery in patients after kidney or liver transplantation is performed mainly for obstetric reasons. The reported incidence of cesarean delivery in pregnancy following transplant is high, reflecting the high degree of clinical caution exercised in these patients.