[Ultrasonographic appearances in three cases of pancreas divisum (author's transl)]

Pancreas divisum is an embryological malformation resulting from imperfect fusion of the dorsal and ventral parts of the gland. In this not infrequently observed anomaly, the excretory systems of the two parts remain independent, secretion being through the principal papilla for the ventral, and the accessory papilla for the dorsal pancreas. The pathogenic role of this malformation is now well established. Ultrasonographic findings in the three cases reported, particularly the intrapancreatic pathway of the superior mesenteric vein, were sufficiently atypical for this congenital malformation to be suspected.