DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2018.v06i09.013

Pages: 3297-3305

The greek word ‘ikteros’ is derived from the word ‘ictides’, a species of ferret with bright yellow eyes. The term ‘J AUNDICE’ is derived from the French word meaning yellow and refers to the presence of an excess of bile pigment in tissues and serum. It develops when serum concentration of bilirubin exceeds 2.5 to 3.0 mg/100ml. To analyse the etiology in intra and extra hepatic cholestasis & To study the role of liver function tests in obstructive jaundice. 40 cases of obstructive jaundice comprise the material of this study .Out of these, 20 had jaundice, caused by extrahepatic obstruction of biliary tract, the remaining 20 had intrahepatic obstruction. These cases were taken from various wards of NIIMS medical college, Jaipur. Diagnosis was made on the basis of Clinical evaluation & Investigations. The hallmarks of patients of intrahepatic cholestasis were younger age, early appearance for treatment, positive history of drug ingestion (in drug induced jaundice only), slight elevation of serum bilirubin and serum alkaline phosphatase levels, marked elevation of serum transaminases and a positive corticosteroid test. In extrahepatic cholestasis, patients were of middle age group, presented late for treatment and had markedly raised serum bilirubin and serum alkaline phosphatase and only slightly raised serum transaminase levels. Palpable gall bladder, pain in right upper abdomen and a negative corticosteroid test were also the prominent clinical features. Jaundice, not infrequently a trial and tribulation to physician and surgeon, has been discussed in the present series, on the basis of its various etiologies and differentiation between intra and extra hepatic types of biliary obstructions. This differentiation is imperative if needless surgery in intrahepatic cholestasis is to be avoided.