The biliary tract (or biliary tree) is the common anatomical term for the path by which bile is secreted by the liver then transported to the first part of the small intestine, also known as the duodenum. A structure common to most members of the mammal family, it is referred to as a tree because it begins with many small branches which end in the common bile duct, sometimes referred to as the trunk of the biliary tree. The duct, the branches of the hepatic artery and the portal vein form the central axis of the portal triad. Bile flows in the direction opposite to that of the blood present in the other two channels.
The name usually excludes the liver, but sometimes does include it.
Read more about Biliary Tract: Clinical Significance, Path, Pathology
Famous quotes containing the words biliary and/or tract:
“I knew a witty physician who found theology in the biliary duct, and used to affirm that if there was a disease in the liver, the man became a Calvinist, and if that organ was sound, he became a Unitarian.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“If a theme or idea is too near the surface, the novel becomes simply a tract illustrating an idea.”
—Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973)