Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) was carried out in 79 patients with known or suspected obstructive jaundice. Complications were noted in 10 patients with tumors (bile leakage 4, bleeding 4, pain 1, liver abscess 1), and in at least 9 of them the bile ducts were dilated. All patients with bile leakage or bleeding were operated upon within a few hours of the examination, thus minimizing the risk of complication. No correlation was found between the complications and the thrombotest value (provided it was above 12 per cent) or the depth and duration of the jaundice.