Morphometric Analysis of Common Bile Duct: A Cadaveric Study

Abstract

Introduction: Though human beings look similar in their general anatomical appearances but during the investigation of a particular structure in detail, it is surprising how frequently we meet one sort or another type of variation. Literature reports that accurate dimensions of CBD are debatable. Therefore, determination of a spontaneous abnormality or atypical variation is important and reference range plays a significant role to classify the normal or abnormal duct. Materials and Methods: A total of thirty (30) cadavers were dissected at MGM Medical College Mumbai, India from Jan 2012 to March 2013 for anatomical features of the common bile duct-like their size, variations in the course and termination. Results: The length of the common bile duct varies 35.19 mm to 62.43 mm with Mean ± SD 46.92 ± 7.91 mm and diameter varied between 3.65 mm to 10.31 mm with mean value 6.50 ± 1.77. The correlation between length and diameter of common bile duct is statistically insignificant (p = 0.243) Conclusion: We established a reference range for the CBD length and diameter. Thus, the exact knowledge of the anatomy of the common bile duct is significant for successful hepato-biliary surgery and biliary pathology.