THE DISCHARGE OF BILE INTO THE DUODENUM

Abstract

The mechanism of biliary secretion and flow has been studied extensively for many years, yet some phases of it are not fully understood. This is due in part to the differences of opinion regarding the anatomy of this region and also to the difficulty of securing convincing experimental information without interfering with normal physiologic processes. The liver normally secretes bile continuously, although the rate is variable. The flow from the common bile duct into the duodenum, however, is interrupted. Most anatomic studies have shown the presence of a muscular arrangement at the duodenal end of the choledochus, which could act as a sphincter, and many physiologic experiments and hypotheses concerning a sphincter mechanism of the choledochus have been made. The studies have not all been concordant. The object of the present experimental study was to observe directly the flow of bile into the duodenum in the intact animal and thus