What stool color is typical with biliary obstruction?

What stool color is typical with biliary obstruction?

• A. Dark brown stool
• B. Light gray clay-colored stool
• C. Bright yellow stool
• D. Red stool

Answer: (B)

Bile pigments in stool give it its brown color, so when a biliary obstruction blocks bile from entering the intestine, these pigments don’t reach the gut. The stool becomes pale, clay-colored or acholic. This pale stool is a classic sign of obstructive jaundice. Dark brown stool means bile pigments are reaching the intestine as usual. Bright yellow stool isn’t typical for biliary obstruction and can occur with other conditions like malabsorption or rapid transit. Red stool points to GI bleeding in the tract. So the pale, clay-colored stool best fits biliary obstruction.

Bile pigments in stool give it its brown color, so when a biliary obstruction blocks bile from entering the intestine, these pigments don’t reach the gut. The stool becomes pale, clay-colored or acholic. This pale stool is a classic sign of obstructive jaundice.

Dark brown stool means bile pigments are reaching the intestine as usual. Bright yellow stool isn’t typical for biliary obstruction and can occur with other conditions like malabsorption or rapid transit. Red stool points to GI bleeding in the tract. So the pale, clay-colored stool best fits biliary obstruction.