Biliary Tract Obstruction
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Description
The biliary tract comprises the gall bladder, hepatic duct, common bile duct and the duodenal papillae onto which it opens. If any part of this tract is obstructed, the normal flow of bile is interrupted resulting in cholestasis and post-hepatic jaundice. If the obstruction is not relieved, the biliary tract may rupture to produce a chemical bile peritonitis.
The causes of biliary tract obstruction may be intraluminal or extraluminal:
- Intraluminal
- parasites
- choleliths (gall stones)
- Mucocoele
- Extraluminal
- compression of the ducts by nearby inflammatory and neoplastic processes