Everything about Biliary Tract totally explained
A
bile duct is any of a number of long tube-like structures that carry
bile.
Bile, required for the
digestion of food, is excreted by the
liver into passages that carry bile toward the
hepatic duct, which joins with the
cystic duct (carrying bile to and from the
gallbladder) to form the
common bile duct, which opens into the
intestine.
The
biliary tree (see below) is the whole network of various sized ducts branching through the liver.
The path is as follows:
Bile canaliculi → Canals of Hering → interlobular bile ducts → intrahepatic bile ducts → left and right
hepatic ducts merge to form → common hepatic duct exits liver and joins → cystic duct (from
gall bladder)
forming → common bile duct → joins with pancreatic duct → forming ampulla of Vater → enters duodenum
Common bile duct
The top half of the common bile duct is associated with the liver, while the bottom half of the common bile duct is associated with the
pancreas, through which it passes on its way to the intestine. It opens in the part of the intestine called the
duodenum into a structure called the
ampulla of Vater.
Pathology
Blockage of the bile duct by a
cancer, gallstones, or scarring from injury prevents the bile from being transported to the intestine and the active ingredient in the bile (
bilirubin) instead accumulates in the
blood. This condition is called
jaundice and the
skin and
eyes become yellow from the bilirubin in the blood. This condition also causes severe itchiness from the bilirubin deposited in the tissues. In certain types of jaundice, the urine will be noticeably darker, and the stools will be much paler than usual. This is caused by the bilirubin all going to the bloodstream and being filtered into the urine by the kidneys, instead of some being lost in the stools through the ampulla of Vater.
Jaundice is commonly caused by conditions such as
pancreatic cancer, which causes blockage of the bile duct passing through the cancerous portion of the pancreas;
cholangiocarcinoma, cancer of the bile ducts; blockage by a stone in patients with
gallstones; and from scarring after injury to the bile duct during gallbladder removal.
Additional images
Image:Gray1093.png|Section across portal canal of pig. X 250.
Further Information
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