Peritoneal dialysis in obstructive jaundice: an experimental study.

Rats were subjected to common bile duct ligation, after which intermittent peritoneal dialysis with a buffered solution containing rat plasma proteins was carried out in an attempt to reduce plasma bilirubin levels. Plasma bilirubin increased significantly (P <0.01) on the seventh day and was still rising 12 days after ligation of the common bile duct. Dialysis was performed during the second postoperative week. Provided that rat plasma protein was present in the dialysing fluid, dialysis significantly reduced (P <0.01) the levels of total plasma bilirubin, conjugated bilirubin and serum GPT in the experimental animals.