- Ampulla of Vater
Infobox Anatomy
Name = PAGENAME
Latin = a. hepatopancreatica
GraySubject = 250
GrayPage = 1199
Caption = Biliary system
| Width = 200px
Caption2 = The ampulla of Vater, seen on duodenoscopy at the time ofERCP
System =
Precursor =
MeshName = Ampulla+of+Vater
MeshNumber = A03.159.183.079.300.950
DorlandsPre = a_32
DorlandsSuf = 12127886The ampulla of Vater ( _la. papilla Vateri, papilla duodeni major), also known as the _la. hepatopancreatic ampulla, is formed by the union of the
pancreatic duct and thecommon bile duct . The ampulla is specifically located at themajor duodenal papilla .One important thing to note about the Ampulla of Vater is that its entrance point, halfway along the second part of the duodenum, marks the anatomical transition from foregut to midgut (and hence the point where the celiac trunk stops supplying the gut and the superior mesenteric artery takes over).
Function
Various
smooth muscle sphincter s regulate the flow ofbile andpancreatic juice through the ampulla: thesphincter of the pancreatic duct , thesphincter of the bile duct , and thehepatopancreatic sphincter (Sphincter of Oddi ).The
Sphincter of Oddi controls the introduction of bile and pancreatic secretions into the duodenum, as well as preventing the entry of duodenal contents into the Ampulla.Related disorders
*
Pancreatitis can result from a failure of pancreatic secretions to drain properly. One possible cause of impaired drainage of pancreatic juice is blockage of thehepatopancreatic ampulla . A common culprit to cause blockage is agallstone in thecommon bile duct .Eponym
The eponymical term "ampulla of Vater" is named after
Abraham Vater (1684 -1751 ), a Germananatomist who first published a description of it in1720 . [WhoNamedIt|synd|3098]
=AdditionalReferences
* "Ampulla, hepatopancreatic." Stedman's Medical Dictionary, 27th ed. (2000). ISBN 0-683-40007-X
* Moore, Keith L. and Arthur F. Dalley. Clinically Oriented Anatomy, 4th ed. (1999). ISBN 0-683-06141-0
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