See cholestasia.
- intrahepatic c. of pregnancy intrahepatic c. with centrilobular bile staining without inflammatory cells or proliferation of mesenchymal cells; clinically characterized by pruritus and/or icterus; of unknown cause but associated with high estrogen levels. SYN: c. of pregnancy, cholestatic hepatosis icterus gravidarum, recurrent jaundice of pregnancy.
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cho·le·sta·sis .kō-lə-'stā-səs, .käl-ə- n, pl -sta·ses -'stā-.sēz a checking or failure of bile flow
cho·le·stat·ic .kō-lə-'stat-ik, .käl-ə- adj
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n.
failure of normal amounts of bile to reach the intestine, resulting in obstructive jaundice. The cause may be a mechanical block in the bile ducts, such as a stone (extrahepatic biliary obstruction), or liver disease, such as that caused by the drug chlorpromazine in some hypersensitive individuals (intrahepatic cholestasis); it may also occasionally occur in pregnancy. The symptoms are jaundice with dark urine, pale faeces, and usually itching (pruritus).
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cho·le·sta·sis (ko″lə-staґsis) [chole- + -stasis] stoppage or suppression of the flow of bile. cholestatic adjMedical dictionary. 2011.