The Pancreaticobiliary Ductal Union System and Associated Disorders / 대한소화기내시경학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The anatomy of the distal ends of the common bile duct and the main pancreatic duct has received attention becauwe of its importance in pancreaticobiliary disense. The two ducts open into the duodenum either separately or via a common channel. But basie data about the pancreaticabiliary ductal union system has not existed in Korea until now. METHODS: In this study all cases performed with an ERCP were reviewed over the past 5 years (1992.1.1 1996.12.31). Among 3,234 cases, 307 were selected and analyzed because of their clear identification by the pancreaticobiliary ductal union system.

Development of elastin layers in the aortic wall of human fetuses

The presence of elastin layers in the aortic walls of twelve human fetuses was confirmed with scanning electron microscope pictures after hot alkali treatment and histochemical examination. In addition, the number of elastin layers in aortic walls of 5 different segments were compared in fetuses of varying ages. Aldehyde fuchsin stained slides of elastin ascending aortas showed a range between 27 and 55 layers of elastin in fetuses of 8 weeks to 32 weeks. However, in the lower abdominal aortas, elastin layers decreased from 28 to only 3 layers for fetuses of the same age. Furthermore, as elastin layers decreased from ascending aorta to abdominal aorta with the progression of fetal life, similar changes in the elastin lamellae were observed. These results suggest that while aortas grow rapidly in length, the medial elastin thickens slowly, perhaps due to slow development of hydrodynamic forces and pressures. Also the adventitial elastin appears to lose out gradually along the length from ascending aorta to abdominal aorta.

Morphogenic development of the pancreas in the staged human embryo

The Carnegie stage is widely applied in the field of human embryology, and it is more logical to analyze the embryos by this stage than CR length or menstrual age. In this study, the early development of the pancreas is studied by tissue observation and reconstruction using serial sections of 33 human embryo ranging from Carnegie stages 11 to 23. The dorsal pancreas develops from the dorsal wall of the duodenum in stage 12, and the ventral pancreas from the proximal part of the cystic primordium in stage 13 or 14 as a single epithelial thickening, but in one case, as a bilateral thickening which contains some isolated spaces. The rotation of the ventral pancreas starts in stage 15, and completes in stage 17. Surrounding connective tissue differentiates in stage 18.