Pathology of biliary tract diseases -observation based on possible mutual plasticity of biliary tract and pancreas-

Abstract

We analyzed the pathology of the biliary tract based on a novel standpoint of view. The biliary tract and pancreas are known to derive from the foregut at almost same time, and several genes are commonly involved in the development and maturation of the biliary tract and pancreas. Histological studies show that pancreatic exocrine acini are identifiable in the peribiliary glands which are physiologically distributed along the biliary tract. These findings suggest that the biliary tract and pancreas have plasticity to change to each other. Among many types of biliary tract and pancreatic diseases, several diseases present common pathophysiologies. For example, IgG4-related sclerosing diseases and intraductal papillary neoplasm are known to develop in the biliary tract and pancreas, and it is possible to understand these diseases based on mutual plasticity of the biliary tract and pancreas. There must be other diseases of the biliary tract and pancreas which are understandable by this mutual plasticity of the biliary tract and pancreas.