title: The anatomical relationship between the retropancreatic part of the bile duct and the main pancreatic duct.
abstract: The main pancreatic duct lies posteriorly within the head of the pancreas and adjacent to the retropancreatic part of the common bile duct. In 17 out of 25 (68%) autopsy specimens which were studied, the two ducts ran within 5 mm of each other for a mean distance of 3.9 cm. The pancreatitis which sometimes develops as a complication of instrumentation of the bile duct could be a result of damage to the main pancreatic duct.
mesh_terms: D003135:Common Bile Duct / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D010183:Pancreatic Ducts / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011859:Radiography