EXTRAHEPATIC CHOLESTASIS - ULTRASONOGRAPH Y AND COMPUTERIZED-TOMOGRAPHY FINDINGS

One hundred and fifty patients with jaundice and analytical suspicion of extrahepatic cholestasis were studied prospectively; history labora tory investigation and ultrasound examination were done in all. Comput erized tomography was performed in 46 patients. Ultrasonography has a sensitivity of 92.6% while that of computerized tomography was 87.2% f or the identification of dilated biliary ducts. Computerized tomograph y demonstrated the level of obstruction with a sensitivity of 89.1%, b eing most useful at the suprapancreatic and ampullary levels, while ul trasound examination had a sensitivity of 80%. The accuracy of ultraso nography was higher than the one obtained in computerized tomography i n cholangiocarcinoma (sensitivity: 77%) and gallbladder carcinoma (sen sitivity: 100%). Computerized tomography recognized choledocholithiasi s (sensitivity: 83%) and ampullary carcinoma (sensitivity: 75%) with b etter accuracy. However for pancreatic carcinoma (sensitivity: 87%) an d pancreatitis (sensitivity: 88%) both examinations had the same accur acy.