Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 5/31/2008

Question
After a diagnosis of cholestatic jaundice, with all else being ruled out as a cause and viral being perhaps the last possibility, what steps are taken to check for viral causes, and how is it narrowed down with so many viral things out there?  Thank you.

Answer
This question is probably better asked of a general internist rather than an anesthesiologist, but viral causes is often it is a diagnosis of exclusion. If all other causes are ruled out, viral is assumed.

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston