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Bile duct
 
 
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A bile duct is any of a number of long tube-like structures that carry bile
Bile

Bile or gall is a bitter yellow or green fluid secreted by hepatocytes from the liver of most vertebrates. In many species, bile is stored in the gallbladder between meals and upon eating is discharged into the duodenum where the bile aids the process of digestion of lipids....
.

Bile, required for the digestion
Digestion

Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breaking down of food into smaller components, to a form that can be Absorption, for instance, by a blood stream....
 of food, is excreted by the liver
Liver

The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals; it has a wide range of functions, a few of which are detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion....
 into passages that carry bile toward the hepatic duct, which joins with the cystic duct
Cystic duct

The cystic duct is the short duct that joins the gall bladder to the common bile duct. It usually lies next to the cystic artery. It is of variable length....
 (carrying bile to and from the gallbladder
Gallbladder

The gallbladder is a small non-vital Organ which aids in the digestive process and concentrates bile produced in the liver....
) to form the common bile duct
Common bile duct

Bile, which is synthesized in the liver, is carried via the right and left hepatic ducts, with both converging to form the common hepatic duct. The cystic duct opens at the lower end of the common hepatic duct forming the common bile duct....
, which opens into the intestine
Intestine

In anatomy, the intestine is the segment of the Gastrointestinal tract extending from the stomach to the anus and, in humans and other mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestine and the large 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
Canals of Hering

The Canals of Hering, or intrahepatic bile ductules, are part of the outflow system of exocrine bile product from the liver.Anatomy...
 ? interlobular bile ducts
Interlobular bile ducts

The interlobular bile ducts carries bile in the liver between the Canals of Hering and the intrahepatic bile ducts. They are part of the interlobular portal triad and can be easily localized by looking for the much larger hepatic portal vein....
 ? intrahepatic bile ducts
Intrahepatic bile ducts

Intrahepatic bile ducts are part of the outflow system of exocrine bile product from the liver.They may refer to all kinds of bile ducts inside the liver, including bile canaliculus, Canals of Hering, interlobular bile ducts and left and right hepatic ducts....
 ? left and right hepatic ducts merge to form ? common hepatic duct
Common hepatic duct

The common hepatic duct is the duct formed by the convergence of the right hepatic duct and the left hepatic duct . The common hepatic duct then joins the cystic duct coming from the gallbladder to form the common bile duct....
 exits liver and joins ? cystic duct
Cystic duct

The cystic duct is the short duct that joins the gall bladder to the common bile duct. It usually lies next to the cystic artery. It is of variable length....
 (from gall bladder) forming ? common bile duct
Common bile duct

Bile, which is synthesized in the liver, is carried via the right and left hepatic ducts, with both converging to form the common hepatic duct. The cystic duct opens at the lower end of the common hepatic duct forming the common bile duct....
 ? joins with pancreatic duct
Pancreatic duct

The pancreatic duct, or duct of Wirsung, is a duct joining the pancreas to the common bile duct to supply pancreatic juices which aid in digestion provided by the "exocrine pancreas"....
 ? forming ampulla of Vater ? enters duodenum
Duodenum

The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine in most higher vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In fish, the divisions of the small intestine are not as clear and the terms anterior intestine or proximal intestine may be used instead of duodenum....


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
Pancreas

The pancreas is a gland Organ in the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland , as well as an exocrine gland, secreting pancreatic juice containing Digestion enzymes that pass to the small intestine....
, through which it passes on its way to the intestine.






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Encyclopedia


A bile duct is any of a number of long tube-like structures that carry bile
Bile

Bile or gall is a bitter yellow or green fluid secreted by hepatocytes from the liver of most vertebrates. In many species, bile is stored in the gallbladder between meals and upon eating is discharged into the duodenum where the bile aids the process of digestion of lipids....
.

Bile, required for the digestion
Digestion

Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breaking down of food into smaller components, to a form that can be Absorption, for instance, by a blood stream....
 of food, is excreted by the liver
Liver

The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals; it has a wide range of functions, a few of which are detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion....
 into passages that carry bile toward the hepatic duct, which joins with the cystic duct
Cystic duct

The cystic duct is the short duct that joins the gall bladder to the common bile duct. It usually lies next to the cystic artery. It is of variable length....
 (carrying bile to and from the gallbladder
Gallbladder

The gallbladder is a small non-vital Organ which aids in the digestive process and concentrates bile produced in the liver....
) to form the common bile duct
Common bile duct

Bile, which is synthesized in the liver, is carried via the right and left hepatic ducts, with both converging to form the common hepatic duct. The cystic duct opens at the lower end of the common hepatic duct forming the common bile duct....
, which opens into the intestine
Intestine

In anatomy, the intestine is the segment of the Gastrointestinal tract extending from the stomach to the anus and, in humans and other mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestine and the large 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
Canals of Hering

The Canals of Hering, or intrahepatic bile ductules, are part of the outflow system of exocrine bile product from the liver.Anatomy...
 ? interlobular bile ducts
Interlobular bile ducts

The interlobular bile ducts carries bile in the liver between the Canals of Hering and the intrahepatic bile ducts. They are part of the interlobular portal triad and can be easily localized by looking for the much larger hepatic portal vein....
 ? intrahepatic bile ducts
Intrahepatic bile ducts

Intrahepatic bile ducts are part of the outflow system of exocrine bile product from the liver.They may refer to all kinds of bile ducts inside the liver, including bile canaliculus, Canals of Hering, interlobular bile ducts and left and right hepatic ducts....
 ? left and right hepatic ducts merge to form ? common hepatic duct
Common hepatic duct

The common hepatic duct is the duct formed by the convergence of the right hepatic duct and the left hepatic duct . The common hepatic duct then joins the cystic duct coming from the gallbladder to form the common bile duct....
 exits liver and joins ? cystic duct
Cystic duct

The cystic duct is the short duct that joins the gall bladder to the common bile duct. It usually lies next to the cystic artery. It is of variable length....
 (from gall bladder) forming ? common bile duct
Common bile duct

Bile, which is synthesized in the liver, is carried via the right and left hepatic ducts, with both converging to form the common hepatic duct. The cystic duct opens at the lower end of the common hepatic duct forming the common bile duct....
 ? joins with pancreatic duct
Pancreatic duct

The pancreatic duct, or duct of Wirsung, is a duct joining the pancreas to the common bile duct to supply pancreatic juices which aid in digestion provided by the "exocrine pancreas"....
 ? forming ampulla of Vater ? enters duodenum
Duodenum

The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine in most higher vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In fish, the divisions of the small intestine are not as clear and the terms anterior intestine or proximal intestine may be used instead of 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
Pancreas

The pancreas is a gland Organ in the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland , as well as an exocrine gland, secreting pancreatic juice containing Digestion enzymes that pass to the small intestine....
, through which it passes on its way to the intestine. It opens in the part of the intestine called the duodenum
Duodenum

The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine in most higher vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In fish, the divisions of the small intestine are not as clear and the terms anterior intestine or proximal intestine may be used instead of duodenum....
 into a structure called the ampulla of Vater.

Pathology

Blockage of the bile duct by a cancer
Cancer

Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cell display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis . These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, do not invade or metastasize....
, gallstones, or scarring from injury prevents the bile from being transported to the intestine and the active ingredient in the bile (bilirubin
Bilirubin

Bilirubin is the yellow breakdown product of normal heme catabolism. Heme is formed from hemoglobin, a principal component of red blood cells. Bilirubin is excreted in bile, and its levels are elevated in certain diseases....
) instead accumulates in the blood
Blood

Blood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's Cell s ? such as nutrients and oxygen ? and transports waste products away from those same cells....
. This condition is called jaundice
Jaundice

Jaundice, also known as icterus , is a yellowish discoloration of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclera , and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia ....
 and the skin
Skin

The skin is the outer covering of the body, also known as the epidermis. It is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial biological tissue, and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and organ s....
 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
Jaundice

Jaundice, also known as icterus , is a yellowish discoloration of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclera , and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia ....
 is commonly caused by conditions such as pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is a cancer of the pancreas. Each year in the United States, about 37,680 individuals are diagnosed with this condition and 34,290 die from the disease each year....
, which causes blockage of the bile duct passing through the cancerous portion of the pancreas; cholangiocarcinoma
Cholangiocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma is a cancer of the bile ducts, which drain bile from the liver into the small intestine. Other biliary tract cancers include pancreatic cancer, gall bladder cancer, and cancer of the ampulla of Vater....
, cancer of the bile ducts; blockage by a stone in patients with gallstone
Gallstone

In medicine, gallstones are crystalline bodies formed within the body by accretion or concretion of normal or abnormal bile component.Gallstones can occur anywhere within the biliary tree, including the gallbladder and the common bile duct....
s; and from scarring after injury to the bile duct during gallbladder removal.

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