23. The Digestive System

Match the letter of the digestive organ shown in the figure with its function.

___ produces bile

Match the letter of the digestive organ shown in the figure with its function.

___ stores bile

a. What is the relationship between the cystic, common hepatic, bile, and pancreatic ducts?

b. What is the point of fusion of the bile and pancreatic ducts called?

Mr. Williams presents to your clinic with a complaint of abdominal pain in the right upper quadrant. He says that the pain worsens when he eats, particularly when he eats fatty meals. He has noticed that his stool has been an unusual clay color recently. You perform an ultrasound of his abdomen and find that gallstones are blocking his common bile duct, preventing bile from entering the duodenum.

Explain why his feces have become a clay color instead of a normal brown color.

Which of the following best describes the microscopic structure of the liver?

a. Hexagonal plates of hepatocytes surrounding a central vein with portal triads at each corner

b. Octagonal plates of hepatocytes surrounding a central artery with portal triads at each corner

c. Irregular groups of hepatocytes surrounding a central vein with bile ducts at each corner

d. Hexagonal plates of hepatocytes surrounding a portal vein with bile ducts at each corner

Bile emulsifies fat. Define emulsify.

Explain why activation of pancreatic enzymes is delayed until they reach the small intestine.

Obstruction of the hepatopancreatic sphincter impairs digestion by reducing the availability of:

a. Bile and HCl

b. HCl and intestinal juice

c. Pancreatic juice and intestinal juice

d. Pancreatic juice and bile

Some people with gallstones develop pancreatitis. How could this occur?