Overview
Pancreas divisum is the most common birth defect of the pancreas. The pancreas is an organ that helps in food digestion by producing digestive juices (enzymes) that drain into the intestine through a tube (duct). While the baby is developing inside the uterus, two separate parts of the pancreas come together to form the pancreas and the two ducts join. In pancreas divisum, the two ducts are separate and drainage may be impaired.
Review Date 10/25/2021
Updated by: Michael M. Phillips, MD, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.