Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography -- its place in obstructive jaundice

The case notes of twelve jaundiced patients, on whom percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) were performed, are reviewed. PTC was carried out to differentiate the patients with intrahepatic cholestasis from those with extrahepatic biliary obstruction, and to identify the site and nature of the block. In eleven cases, the biliary trees were visualised, with the sites of obstruction in those present demonstrated and confirmed at subsequent laparotomies. There was no serious side effect from the procedure. PTC in our hands has proved an invaluable aid in the investigation of the icteric patients.