Double Common Bile Duct

Abstract

A case of an accessory common bile duct inserting near or on the minor duodenal papilla revealed by ERCP. The patient had no symptoms related to the anomaly. A review of the literature revealed 23 cases from the last 500 years. The accessory bile ducts opened into the gastrointestinal tract at different distances from the major duodenal papilla. In certain animals a double common bile duct is normal. The anomalies are assumed to be caused by random subdivisioning of the hepatic diverticulum early in organogenesis.

Double common bile duct with an ectopic drainage into the stomach

“…One of the common encountered biliary anomalies in upper abdominal surgery is the accessory bile ducts opening into the extrahepatic bile ducts or into the gallbladder. Other than classic drainage into the duodenal papilla, ectopic opening of the biliary system into the upper GI tract via the accessory bile duct is an extremely rare anomaly [ 1 ]. According to a report by Boyden [ 3 ], Vesarius reported the first case of DCBD draining into the duodenum and stomach in 1543.…”

“…The anomalies of the biliary system are various and frequent, however, double common bile duct (DCBD) is an extremely rare congenital anomaly [ 1 ]. One usually has normal drainage into the duodenum and the other, termed accessory common bile duct (ACBD), opens in different parts of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract.…”

Duplication of the extrahepatic bile duct

“…Congenital anomaly of the biliary tract is seen in 10-50% of patients in surgical series (Leung et al 2000). Duplication of the extrahepatic bile duct is an extremely rare anomaly with about 30 cases reported in Western literature (Teilum 1986;Balbinot et al 2004;Choi et al 2007;Djuranovic et al 2007). There are five types of this anomaly, with only one case of type Va having been reported previously (Choi et al 2007).…”

Duplication of the Extrahepatic Bile Duct in Association with Choledocholithiasis as Depicted by MDCT

“…Congenital duplication of the extrahepatic bile duct is a very rare anomaly and this has been reported in only 24 cases in the clinical literature during the last 500 years until 1986 (1). …”

“…In addition, this anomaly is often accompanied with anomalous union of the pancreaticobiliary ductal system (AUPBD) and the presence of a choledocal cyst (2). Most cases of duplicated extrahepatic bile ducts that have been reported up to now were diagnosed based on the abnormalities that were found by endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC), MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) or operative cholangiography (1-8). …”