Pancreatic Ducts and Postoperative Pancreatitis

Abstract
Sixty years ago, Opie1 presented his "Common Channel" theory of the etiology of acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis. The anatomy of the pancreatic ductal septem has been the subject of numerous studies ever since this first report. We have been interested in the anatomy of the ducts of the pancreas relative to the pathogenesis of postoperative pancreatitis. Postoperative morbidity and mortality after injury to pancreatic ducts and arteries have been well documented in the literature.2-9 The purpose of this report was to study the anatomy of the pancreatic ducts and to demonstrate their variants. The distal portion of the common bile duct and the pancreatic ducts are located anatomically in an inaccessible location to the surgeon, and it is therefore important that the anatomical variants be thoroughly understood if injury to these structures is to be avoided. Materials and Methods The material in this study consisted of 50 fixed specimens

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