A Combined Method for Diagnosis in Malignant Jaundice

SINCE the introduction of the percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography and the exocrine function study of the pancreas, the diagnostic accuracy in surgical jaundice has much improved in recent years. We have been utilizing a combined method to make a preoperative diagnosis in not only the nature or location of the obstruction, but also in the resectability in malignant diseases of the biliary tract and the pancreas. The method consists of (1) pancreatic exocrine function study by determining pancreatic enzyme activity in duodenal juice, (2) percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, (3) percutaneous splenoportography, and recently added (4) selective celiac arteriography. The technique was named as "A Combined Method for Diagnosis in Malignant Jaundice." The present paper is to report the results which were obtained by this method.

Materials and Methods  Our study is based on 46 patients with malignant jaundice who were subsequently operated upon in our department during the last three years;