Diagnosis of jaundices in tropical practice
Aubry, P.; Suisse, P.P.; Capdevielle, P.; Gendron, Y.
Medecine Tropicale Revue du Corps de Sante Colonial 39(3): 329-334
1979
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-682X PMID: 481188 Document Number: 152085
Diagnosis of jaundices in tropical medicine complies with the same rules as in Europe. Some etiologies occur more frequently than in Europe; others, specific to tropical areas require peculiar investigations. Most jaundices observed overseas are hemolytic or hepatitic. Their diagnosis is generally easy. However, chronic viral hepatitis, a frequent infection, requires liver needle-biopsy for a valid diagnosis. The diagnosis of cholestatic jaundice must be conducted in a systematic fashion: if abdominal echotomography is not available, laparoscopy with or without liver needle-biopsy and percutaneous lateral transhepatic cholangiography (OKU-DA's technique) are easily performed in tropical countries and give a certain diagnosis.