This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Investigations

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Immediate investigations in cholangitis include:

  • blood cultures
  • blood tests
    • FBC
    • urea and electrolytes
    • LFTs - alkaline phosphatase, GGT, AST, ALT, and bilirubin
    • G+S
  • ultrasound imaging of biliary tree

These can be followed by:

  • CT
    • standard CT, and the more recently available helical (spiral) CT, can further assess the anatomy of underlying lesions and help clarify the site of obstruction, and may be needed to plan treatment
  • ERCP
    • the definitive investigation in acute cholangitis to elucidate the cause and site of obstruction
    • may be therapeutic if the stone can be removed through a sphincterotomy or an obstruction stented
  • PTC
    • however, a drain must be left in the bile ducts

N.B. direct cholangiography is dangerous because it may worsen the sepsis.

Reference:

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.