[Cholangiographic appearance of the intraphepatic bile ducts (author's transl)]

Percutaneous transphepatic cholangiography patterns of intrahepatic bile ducts in 134 patients were analysed. The majority of case material consisted of gallstone disease and complications of its surgery (44 cases) and secondary or primary neoplasms of the liver (40 cases). A satisfactory filling of the peripheral bile ducts was obtained after drainage of bile and with an injection of somewhat increased quantities of contrast medium into the biliary system. PTC was found to be highly effective in detecting space occupying lesions of neoplastic origin i.e. sensitivity-90 percent, specificity-95 percent, predictive value of a positive result-88 percent. PTC patterns of liver cirrhosis with concommitant extraheptic obstruction, chronic cholangitis, congenital ectasia of the bile ducts, liver abscesses are described. Although PTC is aimed primarily at the detection of nature and level of the extraheptic biliary obstruction there is no essential reason for neglecting its possibilities in recognizing intrahepatic disease.