Pancreatic plexus
Plexus pancreaticus
Definition
Pancreatic plexus is an interconnected meshwork of neurons and ganglia, derived from the posterior hepatic plexus.
Most fibers from the posterior hepatic plexus, as you may know, ascend behind the portal vein and accompany the bile duct to reach the gall bladder and the liver. However, a few (approximately 10-20%) leave the posterior hepatic plexus to form the pancreatic plexus. These descend to the distal common bile duct > pass posterosuperior to the head of pancreas > and reach all the way down to the duodenal papilla.
Text written by Muhammad A. Javaid, MD, PhD © 2023 IMAIOS.
Ren, K., Yi, S.Q., Dai, Y., Kurosawa, K., Miwa, Y. and Sato, I. (2020). Clinical anatomy of the anterior and posterior hepatic plexuses, including relations with the pancreatic plexus: a cadaver study. Clinical Anatomy, 33(5), pp.630-636.
