[Indications and role of ultrasonography, transhepatic percutaneous cholangiography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiography in obstructive pathology of the distal choledochus].

The authors refer the results obtained with ultrasonography (US), percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) and endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) in the diagnosis of obstructive jaundice. One-hundred and forty-four patients have been investigated, on the basis of biological, clinical and ultrasonographic findings, by PTC or ERC. The high percentage rate observed in PTC-approached patients suggests that the combination of US-PTC would appear to provide an important role in diagnosing obstructive jaundice.