[Differential diagnosis of liver and biliary tract diseases in a regional hospital].

Between 1 Jan 1977 and 31 Dec 1979 459 patients were admitted as cases of hepatitis and with suspicion of hepatitis. Opposite to this number stood 613 patients with diseases of the biliary ducts. Only by the large-scale use of invasive-diagnostic methods we could perform and adequate diagnostics, the results of which are demonstrated in this paper. Clinic and results of serological examinations, the value of which is without doubt, are at the present date not yet suited to substitute the liver blind puncture and the laparoscopy in the same value. Recently decisive progress was achieved in the field of diagnosis by the introduction of sensitive radiotests and enzyme immune tests for the proof of virus hepatitides. By means of these new investigation methods prerequisites have been created to reduce the still high dark number in cases of anicteric hepatitis and subclinical cases of hepatitis.