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intrahepatic bile duct

(IN-truh-heh-PA-tik bile dukt)
A bile duct that passes through and drains bile from the liver.
Anatomy of the intrahepatic bile ducts; drawing shows the liver and the intrahepatic bile ducts, which include the right and left hepatic ducts. Also shown is the common hepatic duct, gallbladder, cystic duct, common bile duct, pancreas, ampulla of Vater, and small intestine. An inset shows a cross section of a liver lobule with a network of bile ductules leading into a bile duct.Enlarge this image in new window
Anatomy of the intrahepatic bile ducts. Intrahepatic bile ducts are a network of small tubes that carry bile inside the liver. The smallest ducts, called ductules, come together to form the right and left hepatic ducts, which lead out of the liver. The two ducts join outside the liver and form the common hepatic duct. The cystic duct from the gallbladder joins the common hepatic duct to form the common bile duct. The common bile duct passes through the pancreas and ends in the small intestine. Bile is made by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. When food is being digested, bile is released from the gallbladder and passes through the common bile duct, pancreas, and ampulla of Vater into the small intestine.
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