Abdominal Radiology - Original Article

Frequency of bile duct confluence variations in subjects with pancreas divisum: an analysis of MRCP findings

10.5152/dir.2018.17200

  • Ayşegül Gürsoy Çoruh
  • Başak Gülpınar
  • Hakan Baş
  • Ayşe Erden

Received Date: 08.07.2017 Accepted Date: 30.01.2018 Diagn Interv Radiol 2018;24(2):72-76

PURPOSE:

We aimed to evaluate the frequency of bile duct branching pattern variations at the hepatic confluence in patients with pancreas divisum (PD).

METHODS:

A search was performed through the hospital database using the keyword “pancreas divisum” to identify patients. The magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) images of 137 patients who were diagnosed with PD between August 2011 and November 2016 were retrospectively analyzed for the presence of bile duct variations. A control group of 137 patients without PD was established among patients investigated during the same period. Variations of the biliary tract were grouped into seven types according to the McSweeney et al. classification.

RESULTS:

Biliary tract variations were detected in 103 of a total of 274 patients. Fifty-eight PD patients (42.3%) and 45 control patients (32.8%) had bile duct variation at the hepatic confluence level. The patients with PD were more likely to have biliary tract variation compared with the control group; however, it was not statistically significant (P = 0.105). The most common variation in PD patients was type 3a variation (16.8%).

CONCLUSION:

MRCP studies showed atypical bile duct confluence pattern in nearly half of both PD patients and controls. There was no statistically significant difference in the frequency of anatomic variations at bile duct confluence in patients with PD versus those without PD. Derivation of these structures from different outpouchings in early embryological life may explain this insignificant difference.