Pancreas divisum. A cause of chronic relapsing pancreatitis.

A 36-year-old man, followed for 14 years with recurrent abdominal pain, developed chronic calcific pancreatitis and was found to have pancreas divisum on endoscopic retrograde pancreatography. An intraoperative biopsy showed normal acinar tissue in the head of the pancreas, while the body and tail were replaced by fibrous tissue. His pain resolved following surgical drainage of the dorsal pancreatic duct. Evaluation of the clinical course of this patient and critical review of other such cases in the literature support the role of compromised ductal drainage of the dorsal pancreas in the pathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis in pancreas divisum.