ULTRASONOGRAPHY IN OBSTRUCTIVE JAUNDICE

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the validity of ultrasonography in patients who have obstructive jaundice. Design: Descriptive study.
Place and duration of study: The study was carried out from September 2006 to May 2008 in department of Radiology Combined Military
Hospital Quetta. Patients and Methods: A total of 30 patients; 14 male and 16 female underwent operation for obstructive jaundice. All of them
had preoperative ultrasonography. The site and nature of biliary obstruction were noted and the accuracy was determined with per-operative
findings / histological diagnosis as gold standard. Results: The cause of obstructive jaundice identified by ultrasonography with reasonable
sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 90% for choledocholithiasis and sensitivity of 55.5% and specificity of 95.2% for pancreatic head tumours.
Conclusions: Ultrasonography should be the first and best initial imaging procedure in patients who have obstructive jaundice and shows
reasonable sensitivity and specificity to identify causes of obstruction in obstructive jaundice.