Pancreas divisum in pancreaticobiliary maljunction.
OBJECTIVE
Pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM) and pancreas divisum (PD) are congenital anomalies that develop in the embryo at an early stage. They are possibly the result of bile and pancreatic duct misarrangement. We investigated the configuration of the pancreatic duct in patients with PBM and its clinical implications.


METHODS
In 84 PBM patients, the configuration of the pancreatic duct and the presence of biliary cancer were documented. Patency of Santorini's duct was determined fluoroscopically or by dye-injection endoscopic retrograde pancreatography. Bile amylase levels were measured in 10 patients.


RESULTS
Incomplete PD was detected in 8 (9.5%) of the 84 PBM patients. All of the 8 patients had a patent Santorini's duct, and only 1 patient had gallbladder cancer. The frequency of associated gallbladder cancer and the bile amylase level were significantly lower in PBM patients with a patent Santorini's duct than in PBM patients with a nonpatent Santorini's duct.


CONCLUSIONS
PBM is sometimes associated with incomplete PD. In PBM patients with an incomplete PD, the incidence of cancer of the biliary tract may be lower, since pancreatic juice reflux into the bile duct might be reduced by the flow of pancreatic juice into the duodenum through Santorini's duct.
Kamisawa
Terumi
T
Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Metropolitan Komagome Hospital, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8677, Japan. kamisawa@cick.jp
Tu
Yuyang
Y
Egawa
Naoto
N
Tsuruta
Kouji
K
Okamoto
Atsutake
A
Matsukawa
Masakatsu
M
D000681:Amylases / Q000032:analysis; D001646:Bile / Q000737:chemistry; D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology; D002760:Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D010179:Pancreas / Q000002:abnormalities*; D010183:Pancreatic Ducts / Q000002:abnormalities*; D010189:Pancreatic Juice
D000681:Amylases