Computed tomographic (CT) scans of 46 jaundiced patients were studied to determine the value of CT in the diagnosis of biliary pathology. All of the 12 cases of medical jaundice had positive CT correlation. Of the 34 cases of proven surgical jaundice, 97.8% were correctly identified by CT. In detecting the level of obstruction, the cases were divided into four groups by anatomical segments, according to the number of visualized low density ringlike structures produced by dilated bile duct. All of the correctly diagnosed surgical jaundice was 91.2%. The presence of stones or mass, the level of obstruction and the relative size and shape of visualized distal ring had proved to be the most important variables in etiological diagnosis of surgical jaundice. The results indicate that CT is useful and highly accurate in differenting between surgical (obstructive) jaundice and medical (non-obstructive) ajundice, and determining the level of obstruction and the etiology of surgical jaundice.