title: Duodenal intubation and aspiration test: utility in the differential diagnosis of infantile cholestasis.
abstract: A prospective study involving 27 infants with cholestatic jaundice was carried out to evaluate the diagnostic utility of the 24-h duodenal drainage test. Extrahepatic cholestasis was confirmed by either exploratory laparotomy or autopsy in 12 of 13 cases without bile drainage, with only one false-positive result. The sensitivity of this test for extrahepatic cholestasis was 100% while the accuracy and specificity were 96.3 and 93.3%, respectively. The corresponding sensitivity, accuracy, and specificity for liver biopsy in patients with extrahepatic cholestasis were 83.3, 92.6, and 100%, respectively. It is concluded that the duodenal drainage test is a simple, rapid, and inexpensive procedure with high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of infantile cholestasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Faweya
authors.forename: O O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Akinyinka
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sodeinde
mesh_terms: D001651:Cholestasis, Extrahepatic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002780:Cholestasis, Intrahepatic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004386:Duodenum; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007441:Intubation, Gastrointestinal; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013396:Suction