duct will not close causing a blockage. This surgery can cause pancreatitis in patients, or in rare cases, kidney failure and death. Endoscopic approaches (ERCP) are sometimes used for symptomatic pancreas divisum, which offers the benefit of a less invasive approach compared with surgery. No large-scale clinical studies comparing surgical and endoscopic approaches are available. Occurrence Studies involving autopsy and imaging series indicate that between 6% and 10% of the population have pancreas divisum, but it is asymptomatic in the majority (>95%) of cases. In those who develop symptoms, the symptoms seen in pancreas divisum and pancreatitis with typical anatomy are the same: abdominal pain is common, typically of sudden onset and located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Pancreatic pain is characteristically described as a constant, severe, dull, epigastric pain that often radiates to the back and typically worsens after high-fat meals. However, many different pain patterns have been described, ranging from no pain to recurrent episodes of pain and pain free intervals, to constant pain with clusters of severe exacerbations. References External links Congenital disorders of digestive system Pancreas disorders