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.
Blockage of the bile duct by a cancer or scarring from injury prevents the bile from being transported to the intestine and the bile accumulates in the blood. This condition is called jaundice and the skin and eyes become yellow from the accumulated bile in the blood. This condition also causes severe itchiness.
Jaundice is commonly caused by conditions such as pancreatic cancer caused by blockage of the bile duct passing through the cancerous portion of the pancreas, cholangiocarcinoma, blockage by a stone in patients with gallstones and from scarring after injury to the bile duct during gallbladder removal.
Biliary stricture is an abnormal narrowing of the biliaryduct, the tube that moves bile (a chemical used in digestion) from the liver to the small intestine.
Biliary strictures are often caused by surgical injury to the bileducts, for example, after surgery to remove the gallbladder (cholecystectomy).
Depending on the location, the stricture may be surgically removed and the biliaryduct rejoined with the small intestine or the hepatic duct.
Specimens of excised tissue from the porta hepatis in 26 infants with extrahepatic biliary atresia undergoing hepatic portoenterostomy were analysed histologically for the presence and size of biliary ductules.
Concerning the pathogenesis of biliary atresia, we presume that congenital abnormalities of bileducts are a basic factor, and additional nonspecific inflammation and bile stasis complete its pathological condition.
Sustained biliary drainage is related to age at operation, the size of biliary ductules at the porta and the subsequent development of cholangitis.
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