Pancreatic divisum is the most common congenital pancreatic anomaly, occurring in about 10% of the general population. It occurs when the ventral and dorsal ductal system fail to fuse. This results in dual drainage from the pancreas: the ventral duct draining into the major papilla and the dorsal duct draining into a smaller papilla. About 15% of pancreatic divisum cases are incomplete, characterized by a small ventral duct branch fusing with the dorsal duct.

The majority of patients (about 95%) with pancreatic divisum are asymptomatic, and this finding may be found incidentally on imaging or go undiagnosed. For reasons that are unclear, pancreatic divisum is a risk factor for the development of acute and recurrent pancreatitis. Often, pancreatic divisum is detected on computer topography or magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), which are frequently done in the setting of acute pancreatitis.