[Cholestasis: diagnosis].

Cholestasis may present as extrahepatic (obstructive jaundice), as purely intrahepatic (hepatocellular), as part of a cholestatic hepatitis or as a result of intrahepatic obstruction. Anamnestic clues and clinico-chemical analyses (bilirubin, gamma-GT and alkaline phosphatase) together with sonography and finally ERCP usually will furnish the diagnosis. However, with technical advances computed tomography and MRI cholangiography will soon emerge as often useful techniques in hepatobiliary imaging.