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Aetiology of extrahepatic cholestasis

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The cause of obstruction of any hollow organ may be divided into luminal, mural and extramural causes:

  • obstruction of the lumen of the bile ducts:
    • gall stones
    • parasites:
      • hydatid disease
      • liver fluke
      • round worms
    • iatrogenic:
    • post-T-tube cholangiography

  • mural obstruction:
    • congenital atresia
    • traumatic stricture e.g. ampullary stricture
    • sclerosing cholangitis
    • cholangiocarcinoma

  • extramural obstruction:
    • carcinoma of the head of pancreas
    • carcinoma of the ampulla of Vater
    • pancreatitis
    • porta hepatis tumours (often secondary deposits)
    • chronic duodenal ulceration

The most common causes are:

  • gallstones in the bile duct
  • carcinoma of the head of the pancreas

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