OBJECTIVE: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of ischemia-reperfusion injury on the liver’s function and morphology during the establishment and progress of obstructive jaundice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 80 Wistar rats were used for the purposes of the study and were allocated in four groups: JAUNDICE (obstructive jaundice), JAUN-ISC (obstructive jaundice and ischemia reperfusion), CONTROL (laparotomy) and ISCHEMIA (ischemia reperfusion). RESULTS: Obstructive jaundice, and ischemia-reperfusion injury following obstructive jaundice led to increased mortality, while no mortality was noticed in the control and ischemia groups. In the JAUN-ISC group, SGOT was significantly increased on the 10th day and SGPT was significantly increased on the 1st day compared to JAUNDICE group. Moreover, in the JAUN-ISC group, sinusoid dilation was significantly increased on the 5th and 10th days and neutrophil infiltration was significantly increased on the 10th day compared to the JAUNDICE group. CONCLUSIONS: A mild ischemia-reperfusion injury that in the normal liver led only to slight increase of hepatic neutrophil infiltration in the presence of obstructive jaundice led to increased hepatic biochemical markers (SGOT, SGPT) and increased hepatic sinusoid dilatation and enhanced neutrophil infiltration.