The common hepatic duct is the first part of the

biliary tract The biliary tract, (biliary tree or biliary system) refers to the liver, gallbladder and bile ducts, and how they work together to make, store and secrete bile. Bile consists of water, electrolytes, bile acids, cholesterol, phospholipids and ...

. It joins the

cystic duct The cystic duct is the short duct that joins the gallbladder to the common hepatic duct. It usually lies next to the cystic artery. It is of variable length. It contains ' spiral valves of Heister', which do not provide much resistance to the ...

coming from the

gallbladder In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow organ where bile is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath the liver, although ...

to form the

common bile duct The common bile duct, sometimes abbreviated as CBD, is a duct in the gastrointestinal tract of organisms that have a gallbladder. It is formed by the confluence of the common hepatic duct and cystic duct and terminates by uniting with pancrea ...

Structure

The common hepatic duct is the first part of the

. It is formed by the convergence of the right hepatic duct (which drains bile from the right functional lobe of the

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it i ...

) and the left hepatic duct (which drains bile from the left functional lobe of the liver). It then joins the

coming from the

to form the

. The duct is usually 6–8 cm long. The common hepatic duct is about 6 mm in

diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest chord of the circle. Both definitions are also valid f ...

in adults, with some variation.Gray's Anatomy, 39th ed, p. 1228 The inner surface is covered in a

simple columnar epithelium Simple columnar epithelium is a single layer of columnar epithelial cells which are tall and slender with oval-shaped nuclei located in the basal region, attached to the basement membrane. In humans, simple columnar epithelium lines most organs ...

Variation

Around 1.7% of people have additional accessory hepatic ducts that join onto the common hepatic duct. Rarely, the common hepatic duct joins onto the gallbladder directly, leading to illness.

Function

The hepatic duct is part of the

that transports secretions from the liver into the

intestine The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans an ...

Clinical significance

Cholecystectomy

The common hepatic ducts carries a higher volume of bile in people who have had their gallbladder removed. The common hepatic duct is an important anatomic landmark during surgeries such as

cholecystectomy Cholecystectomy is the surgical removal of the gallbladder. Cholecystectomy is a common treatment of symptomatic gallstones and other gallbladder conditions. In 2011, cholecystectomy was the eighth most common operating room procedure performed i ...

. It forms one edge of

Calot's triangle The cystohepatic triangle (or hepatobiliary triangle) is an anatomic space bordered by the cystic duct inferiorly, the common hepatic duct medially, and the inferior surface of the liver superiorly. The cystic artery lies within the hepatobiliary ...

, along with the

and the

cystic artery The cystic artery (also known as bachelor artery) supplies oxygenated blood to the gallbladder and cystic duct. Most common arrangement In the classic arrangement, occurring with a frequency of approximately 70%, a singular cystic artery originat ...

. All constituents of this triangle must be identified to avoid cutting or clipping the wrong structure.

Cholestasis

A diameter of more than 8 mm is regarded as abnormal dilatation, and is a sign of

cholestasis Cholestasis is a condition where bile cannot flow from the liver to the duodenum. The two basic distinctions are an obstructive type of cholestasis where there is a mechanical blockage in the duct system that can occur from a gallstone or malig ...

Mirizzi's syndrome

Mirizzi's syndrome occurs when the common hepatic duct is blocked by

gallstone A gallstone is a stone formed within the gallbladder from precipitated bile components. The term cholelithiasis may refer to the presence of gallstones or to any disease caused by gallstones, and choledocholithiasis refers to the presence of mi ...

Additional images

File:Abdominal cavity.jpg, Common hepatic duct File:Bilebladder.png, The portal vein and its tributaries. File:Gray1095-gall bladder.png, The gall-bladder and bile ducts laid open. File:Biliary system new.svg File:Slide13ffff.JPG, Common hepatic duct

References

External links

* - "Stomach, Spleen and Liver: Contents of the Hepatoduodenal Ligament"
Illustration
{{Authority control Digestive system Hepatology