Therapeutic plasma exchange as a novel treatment for severe intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: Case series and mechanism of action.
Caroline OvadiaAnita Lövgren-SandblomLindsey A EdwardsJacqueline LangedijkVictoria GeenesJenny ChambersFloria ChengLouise ClarkeShahina BegumMuna NooriCharles PuseyRadhika PadmagirisonSangita AgarwalJames PeerlessKate CheesmanMichael HeneghanRonald Oude ElferinkVishal C PatelHanns-Ulrich MarschallCatherine WilliamsonPublished in: Journal of clinical apheresis (2018)
Therapeutic plasma exchange can lower potentially harmful bile acids and improve itch, likely secondary to the demonstrated removal of pruritogens. However, the limited current experience and potential complications, along with minimal sustained symptomatic benefit, restrict its current use to women with the most severe disease for whom other treatment options have been exhausted.