One hundred and five patients of surgical obstructive jaundice were admitted to Army Hospital, Delhi from July 1991 to June 1994. Patients were investigated as per the diagnostic protocol. The causes of obstruction were choledocholithiasis (24 patients), periampullary carcinoma and carcinoma head of pancreas (32 patients), carcinoma gall bladder and cholangiocarcinoma (11 patients each). The procedures performed to relieve obstructive jaundice in 89 cases included choledochojejunostomy (17), pancreato-duodenectomy (15), hepaticojejunostomy (15), choledocholithotomy (12) and choledochoduodenostomy (12). Mortality was 7 per cent in pancreatoduodenectomy and 8 per cent in palliative procedures.
Keywords: Biliary duct obstruction; Obstructive jaundice; Surgical technique.