Differentiation and Management of the Patient with Jaundice

The challenge is to determine whether the impairment of liver function affects primarily bilirubin or bile salts excretion; differentiating the jaundiced patient according to whether cholestasis, in its true sense of bile standstill, is present or not is often rewarding. The problem may be compounded by the appearance of jaundice and/or cholestatic symptoms as complications of extrahepatic primary diseases.