BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatocyte growth factor is a potent growth -stimulating factor of many kinds of tissue. Hepatocyte growth factor was demonstrated in the blood of various liver diseases, and its concentration was reported to correlate with liver function after partial hepatectomy. In this study , we monitor the dynamics of bile hepatocyte growth factor in patients with obstructive jaundice. METHODOLOGY: In a university hospital, 68 paired blood and bile samples from 42 patients with hyperbilirubinemia were determined with ELISA. The hepatocyte growth factor bile/blood ratio and both daily hepatocyte growth factor clearance and output were calculated for each pair. The correlations between these values with other biochemical parameters were then determined. RESULTS: The blood hepatocyte growth factor concentration correlated positively with serum bilirubin (r= 0.556, p