The common hepatic duct is the first part of the biliary tract. 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 biliary tract. It is formed by the convergence of the

right hepatic duct The common hepatic duct is the first part of the biliary tract. It joins the cystic duct coming from the gallbladder to form the common bile duct. Structure The common hepatic duct is the first part of the biliary tract. It is formed by the c ...

(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 ...

) 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 fo ...

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

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 biliary tract that transports secretions from the liver into the intestines.

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. It forms one edge of Calot's triangle, 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 Mirizzi's syndrome is a rare complication in which a gallstone becomes impacted in the cystic duct or neck of the gallbladder causing compression of the common hepatic duct, resulting in obstruction and jaundice. The obstructive jaundice can be ca ...

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