Diagnosis of obstructive jaundice with nondilated bile ducts

Obstructive jaundice with nondilated bile ducts was identified by percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) in nine of 29 jaundiced patients in whom the etiology of the jaundice was not clearly established by clinical or laboratory means and no dilated ducts were seen at somography or computed tomography (CT). PTC was helpful in these none patients by: (1) differentiating obstructive from nonobstructive jaundice, (2) localizing the site and etiology of the obstructing lesion, and (3) determining operability.