Ultrasound findings in paediatric cholestasis: how to image the patient and what to look for.

Abstract

Paediatric biliary tract and gallbladder diseases include a variety of entities with a wide range of clinical presentations. Cholestasis represents an impaired secretion of bilirubin by hepatocytes, manifesting with high blood levels of conjugated bilirubin and jaundice. Various causes may be involved, which can be recognised analysing blood tests and hepatobiliary imaging, while sometimes liver biopsy or surgery may be necessary. High-resolution real-time ultrasonography is an important tool for differentiation of obstructive and non-obstructive causes of jaundice in infants and children. In this paper, we briefly review the normal anatomy and the ultrasound aspects of main pathologies affecting gallbladder and biliary tree in neonatal and paediatric age.