[Physiopathology and clinical manifestation of cholestasis (author's transl)]

Cholestasis means an alteration of bile secretion or transport on the way from the hepatocyte to the duodenum. A great spectrum of disturbances is seen in the various diseases producing cholestasis; the site of alteration may be (1) the hepatic organelles (2) the secretory bile apparatus (3) the bile ducts. The first part of this review will be concerned with the current concepts of mechanism and physiopathology of cholestasis. The second part deals with the clinical features of the various diseases and discusses new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.