Abstract
ABSTRACT25 non jaundiced patients with dilatation of the biliary tree are presented. In 22 of these cases the cause of obstruction was shown either by ultrasound alone, on radionuclide (RN) study or at endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERCP) and was subsequently proven at surgery. In 2 cases ultrasound showed dilatation of the common duct, which was proved to be non‐obstructive dilatation on ERCP. One patient had multiple benign hepatic cysts with intrahepatic biliary dilatation and was not subjected to surgery. Twenty out of 23 patients with obstructive dilatation showed a variable rise in serum alkaline phosphatase. Bile duct size did not show any correlation with serum alkaline phosphatase levels. It is stressed that ultrasound is a more sensitive indicator of obstructive biliary disease than clinical and biochemical parameters.
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