Cholestasis

Cholestasis
Micrograph showing bile (yellow) stasis in liver tissue, i.e. cholestasis. H&E stain.
Specialty	Gastroenterology

Cholestasis is a condition where the flow of bile from the liver to the duodenum is impaired.^[1] The two basic distinctions are:^[1]

• obstructive type of cholestasis, where there is a mechanical blockage in the duct system that can occur from a gallstone or malignancy, and
• metabolic type of cholestasis, in which there are disturbances in bile formation that can occur because of genetic defects or acquired as a side effect of many medications.

Classification is further divided into acute or chronic and extrahepatic or intrahepatic.