Papillary stenosis
Encyclopedia
Papillary stenosis is a disturbance of the sphincter of Oddi
, a muscular valve, that prevents the opening and release of bile
or pancreatic
fluids into the duodenum
in response to food entering the duodenum.
Obstruction of the valve can cause:
Sphincter of Oddi
The sphincter of ampulla or sphincter of Oddi is a muscular valve that controls the flow of digestive juices through the ampulla of Vater into the second part of the duodenum. It is named after Ruggero Oddi...
, a muscular valve, that prevents the opening and release of bile
Bile
Bile or gall is a bitter-tasting, dark green to yellowish brown fluid, produced by the liver of most vertebrates, that aids the process of digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In many species, bile is stored in the gallbladder and upon eating is discharged into the duodenum...
or pancreatic
Pancreas
The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as a digestive organ, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that assist...
fluids into 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...
in response to food entering the duodenum.
Obstruction of the valve can cause:
- pancreatic pain
- jaundice - bile leaking back into the blood stream.
- attacks of pancreatitis
Causes
- passage of stones
- scarring
- Gluten-sensitive enteropathy
- Autoimmune pancreatitis
Diagnosis and treatment
- Endoscopic examination
- Usually treated surgically, usually involving papillotomy, that is, an incision in the sphincter.