[The diagnosis of obstructive cholangiopathy in newborn infants].

To establish an early diagnosis of obstruction of the extrahepatic bile ducts in 12 newborn infants with jaundice the authors applied hepatobiliary scintigraphy and transcutaneous cholecystocholangiography under control of laparoscopy (2 patients). Atresia of the bile ducts was diagnosed in 4 children, which was confirmed during the operation; in one of these patients scintigraphy undertaken 3 weeks after the intervention showed restoration of the flow of bile into the intestine. In 5 cases a mechanical component of jaundice was not found and in 2 newborn infants the results of scintigraphy proved to be poorly informative. Transcutaneous cholecystocholangiography under control of laparoscopy in 2 cases made it possible to avoid laparotomy in suspected atresia of the bile ducts.