Clinical Study of Obstructive Jaundice at Basaveshwar Teaching and General Hospital, Gulbarga

Obstructive jaundice is a surgical problem that occurs when there is an obstruction to the passage of bile from the liver cells to the intestine [1]. It contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality [2]. Early diagnosis of the cause is very important especially in malignant cases as curative resection is only possible in the early stages [3,4]. This study attempts to analyze the age, sex distribution, various causes, clinical features, derangements of liver function tests, ultrasound abdomen findings and the treatment modalities for treatment of extrahepatic obstructive jaundice. 30 patients with obstructive jaundice were studied. The following conclusions can be drawn from this study: Malignant diseases are the common cause of obstructive jaundice, age group most affected is 55-74 years, sex ratio shows slight male predominance, carcinoma head of the pancreas and choledocholithiasis are the most common malignant and benign causes of obstructive jaundice respectively. Jaundice is the commonest clinical feature in such patients; US abdomen is an effective modality for diagnosis. Serum bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase levels are commonly deranged in these cases. A majority of the patients with malignant obstructive jaundice undergo palliative surgery and only a few were eligible for curative resection.