eur/usd-1.04044%; usd/jpy +0.48761%; gbp/usd-0.79289%; usd/chf +0.76109%; usd/cad +0.64071%; eur/jpy-0.55790%; aud/usd-0.51522%; cny/usd-0.01216%
Bile passes out of the liver through the bile ducts and is stored in the gallbladder. After a meal, it is released into the small intestine. When the bile ducts become blocked, bile builds up in the liver, and jaundice (yellow color of the skin) develops due to the increasing levels of bilirubin in the blood. The possible causes of a blocked bile duct include: Cysts of the common bile duct. Enlarged lymp nodes in the porta hepatis.
If the cause of a distal bile duct obstruction is not revealed by US and there is a high suspicion for a pancreatic or periampullary tumor, the next diagnostic test is CT. ERCP (or MRCP) is only the next step when there is a high suspicion of bile duct stones.