Radiological evaluation of obstructive jaundice

A study involving 125 patients of obstructive jaundice was conducted in Combined Military Hospital and Military Hospital Rawalpindi. The study group predominantly consisted of female patients between 40 and 60 years. Ultrasonography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography [ERCP] were the commonest radiological investigations used. Ultrasonography [USG] was performed in 100% patients. It successfully differentiated obstructive from non-obstructive jaundice. ERCP was perfomed in 100 patients [80%]- It was helpful in permitting direct, non-surgical imaging of pancreatic and bilary ducts. It proved to be useful diagnostic tool as it provided gastroduodenoscopy, cholangiography and pancreatography with a single examination. Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography [PTC] was helpful in assessing the presence, site and cause of obstruction

Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography in pereoperative evaluation of obstructive jaundice

A study was conducted in Radiology Department, Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi to determine the combined efficacy of Ultrasonography [USG] and Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholangiography [PTC] in the preoperative evaluation of obstructive jaundice. After initial screening by means of Ultrasonography, 22 patients were selected for PTC. Of them 14 underwent surgery, providing an opportunity for assessing the separate and combined accuracy of both the modalities. Both were equally accurate detecting stones in the common bile duct [100%]. In assessing stones of the gallbladder, USG [100%] was found to be superior to PTC [0%]. Similarly, USG [87.5%], outperformed PTC [37.5%] in identifying enlargements of the gallbladder. PTC [87.5%] however, surpassed USG [28.5%] in detecting extrinsic compression of the common bile duct [CBD] by nepotistic pancreatic enlargements. Combination of these two modalities resulted in a much improved diagnostic yield and proved to be an economical and safe yet formidable means of preoperative assessment of obstructive jaundice without the need for the more expensive CT scan, or the less available endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography [ERCP]