Prevalence and Causes of Intrahepatic and Extrahepatic Bile Duct Obstruction among the Jaundiced Patients at Riyadh Hospitals Diagnosed by Ultrasound

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and causes of bile duct obstruction among patients with jaundice at the ultrasound departments in Riyadh hospitals. Methods and Results: The study included 525 records of jaundiced patients above 18 years old that were referred to the ultrasound department. Data were collected from PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) at three different hospitals in Riyadh. Of 525 adult jaundiced patients, 69 had biliary obstruction, a 13% prevalence. In our study, 38(55.1%) cases of obstruction were caused by stones, 14(20.3%) by tumors, 9(13.0%) by inflammation, 5(7.2%) by a nonfunctioning stent, and 3(4.3%) by pnemobilia. Obstructive jaundice occurred significantly more frequently with increasing age. The study revealed no significant difference between gender and the presence of obstruction. More studies with a larger sample size of obstructive jaundice patients are suggested.