What connects the liver, gall bladder, and pancreas to the small intestine?
1 Answer
Liver and pancreas secrete digestive juices which reach duodenum portion of small intestine by a duct system.
Explanation:
Bile juice is drained from liver mainly by left and right hepatic ducts , originating respectively from right and left lobes of liver. These two ducts join to form common hepatic duct . Bile is stored in a sac called gall bladder which is connected to biliary duct system by cystic duct .
Cystic duct and common hepatic duct join together to form common bile duct. Common bile duct ends in a swelled Ampulla of Vater where pancreatic duct also joins.
Pancreatic juice is secreted from exocrine part of the gland. There are one minor and one major ducts draining pancreatic juice to intestine. The minor duct is called Duct of Santorini and it enters duodenum immediately after pyloric sphincter.
The major pancreatic duct is named Duct of Wirsung and it drains in Ampulla of Vater. Technically Ampulla is a short hepato-pancreatic duct , which opens in duodenal part of small intestine. The opening is guarded by Sphincter of Oddi .
