GORDON F. ROBERTSON, M.D.; GRAY CARTER, M.D.
This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access.
When cutaneous xanthomatosis is associated with obstructive jaundice, unless a metastatic process is proved, an exploratory laparotomy seems to be indicated. If there is an enlargement of the liver and spleen with a high blood cholesterol and hyperlipemia, the so-called xanthomatous biliary cirrhosis must be considered.
According to Fuentes1 and Romano,2 this condition can be recognized clinically by means of the hypercholesterolemia and ether-extractible bilirubin, and surgery can thus be avoided.
If surgical exploration is carried out, however, and no surgically-removable lesion is found, a biopsy of the liver is in order. One would expect, as Thannhauser and Magendantz3 did,
ROBERTSON GF, CARTER G. XANTHOMATOUS BILIARY CIRRHOSIS: REPORT OF A CASE1. Ann Intern Med. ;36:1336–1343. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-36-5-1336
Download citation file:
© 2019
Published: Ann Intern Med. 1952;36(5):1336-1343.
DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-36-5-1336
Biliary Disorders, Gastroenterology/Hepatology, Liver Disease.