Duodenum (Duodenum)
Educational content only — not medical advice.
Anatomy
The first 25 cm of small intestine in a C-shape hugging the pancreatic head, in four parts ending at the muscle of Treitz; bile and pancreatic ducts enter at the major papilla (ampulla of Vater) in its second part. Supplied by pancreaticoduodenal arcades bridging coeliac and SMA — the surgical watershed of foregut and midgut.
Clinical notes
A posterior duodenal ulcer erodes the pancreaticoduodenal artery causing severe haemorrhage; an impacted Vater-ampulla stone gives obstructive jaundice with gallbladder distension, and its bulb is the commonest peptic-ulcer site.
Related structures
Educational references
FAQ
What is the role of the Duodenum?
The first 25 cm of small intestine in a C-shape hugging the pancreatic head, in four parts ending at the muscle of Treitz; bile and pancreatic ducts enter at the major papilla (ampulla of Vater) in its second part. Supplied by pancreaticoduodenal arcades bridging coeliac and SMA — the surgical watershed of foregut and midgut.
Why is the Duodenum clinically important?
A posterior duodenal ulcer erodes the pancreaticoduodenal artery causing severe haemorrhage; an impacted Vater-ampulla stone gives obstructive jaundice with gallbladder distension, and its bulb is the commonest peptic-ulcer site.
Source & license
BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science licensed under CC Attribution 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). license details