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Biliary Obstruction
Alternate Names : Bile Duct Obstruction
DefinitionBiliary obstruction involves the blockage of any duct that carries bile from the liver to the gallbladder or from the gallbladder to the small intestine.
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Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
Bile is a liquid secreted by the liver that contains cholesterol, bile salts, and waste products such as bilirubin. Bile salts aid in the digestion of fats. Bile passes out of the liver through the bile ducts and is concentrated and stored in the gallbladder until it is released into the small intestine after a meal to help with fat digestion.
When an obstruction occurs in the bile ducts, bile accumulates in the liver, and jaundice (yellow color of the skin) develops due to the accumulation of bilirubin in the blood.
Causes of obstruction include the following:
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Gallstones
- Tumors of the bile ducts or pancreas
- Other tumors that have spread to the biliary system
- Trauma including injury from gallbladder surgery
- Choledochal cysts
- Enlarged nodes in the porta hepatis
- Inflammation of the bile ducts
Risk factors include the following:
In immunosuppressed patients, obstructions can be caused by infections.
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• Definition
• Biliary Obstruction Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
• Biliary Obstruction Symptoms & Signs
• Biliary Obstruction Prevention
• Biliary Obstruction Diagnosis & Tests
• Biliary Obstruction Treatment
• Biliary Obstruction Prognosis
• Biliary Obstruction Complications
• Calling Your Health Care Provider
• Pictures & Images
Topics that might be of interest to you Diseases & Conditions
• Cancer
• Cholangiocarcinoma
• Cholelithiasis
• Chronic Pancreatitis
• Cirrhosis
• Liver Disease
• Pancreatic Carcinoma
• Sepsis
Tests & Exams
• Abdominal CT Scan
• Abdominal Ultrasound
• Bilirubin
• Bilirubin - Urine
• Endoscopy
• ERCP
• Gall Bladder Radionuclide Scan
• Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholangiogram (PTCA)
Surgery & Procedures
• Gallbladder Removal
Other Topics
• Abdominal Pain
• Bile
• Biliary System
• Cholesterol
• Chronic
• Cysts
• Endoscope
• Fat
• Fever
• Itching
• Jaundice - Yellow Skin
• Nausea and Vomiting
• Stools - Pale or Clay Colored
• Urine - Bloody
Review Date : 10/27/2002
Reviewed By : Jenifer K. Lehrer, M.D., Department of Gastroenterology, Graduate Hospital, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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