Venous drainage from the posterior aspect of the pancreatic head and duodenum.

Eighty-three pancreatic head and duodenum specimens, selected from 214 specimens, were dissected minutely to clarify the configurations of the posterior superior pancreaticoduodenal vein (PSPDv) with special reference to its topographical relationship to the common bile duct (CBD) and to whether an artery accompanied the PSPDv. The PSPDv frequently (71.1%) ran postero-inferior to the CBD without the accompaniment of an artery. Moreover, several tributaries draining the second and third portions of the duodenum sometimes (28.9%) joined together without arterial association and formed a stem, the so-called dorsal pancreatic vein. Variations of PSPDv were discussed in relation to the general vascular configuration of the small intestine.