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The pressure at the opening of your bile ducts and pancreatic ducts was measured.

The bile ducts and the pancreatic ducts together open out into the duodenum. The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine and it connects to the stomach. Where the ducts open out there is a sphincter. The sphincter ensures that the bile and digestive juices from the pancreas are not released into the intestine in an uncontrolled way.

Among other things, bile fluid helps with the digestion of fats in food. Furthermore, certain waste materials can be eliminated via the bile fluid. Bile fluid is produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. When the bile fluid is needed for digestion, it is guided from the gallbladder into the intestines via a duct. Amongst other things, the pancreas produces substances for the digestion. These substances are released into the duodenum along with the bile.

To measure the pressure in the area of the opening and the sphincter, a thin tube was positioned there. Firstly, a tube is pushed through the esophagus and the stomach into the duodenum. A second, slimmer tube is then pushed through this tube to the sphincter. But the thin tube can also be inserted during surgery. The thin tube has some sensors that can measure the pressure. The pressure provides information about how the sphincter is working.