Study of the liver changes occurring in preeclampsia and their possible pathogenetic connection with acute fatty liver of pregnancy.

The presence of fatty liver infiltration in all patients studied supports the idea that preeclampsia and acute fatty liver of pregnancy could be components of the same pathologic spectrum, with a probable, but still unproved, pathogenetic connection. The deficiency of the long chain 3-hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase activity may be the determining factor in the evolution of the disease.