Main pancreatic duct
Ductus pancreaticus (Wirsung)
DigestiveOrgansAbdomen
- What it is
- Main duct running the length of the pancreas from tail to head, collecting from side branches like a herringbone, then joining the common bile duct in the hepatopancreatic ampulla (of Vater).
- Function
- Carries pancreatic juice to the duodenum through the major duodenal papilla.
- Size
- About 2 mm wide in the tail widening to 3-4 mm in the head.
- Clinical note
- A gallstone stuck at the shared ampulla can block it and trigger acute pancreatitis.