Ansa pancreatica is a rare anatomical variant of the accessory pancreatic duct. In this variant, the accessory pancreatic duct is replaced by a communicating duct, which arises from the ventral (main) duct, and demonstrates a curved 'S-shaped' course within the pancreatic head before terminating at the minor papilla.

The ansa pancreatica variant is hypothesized to be a predisposing factor for recurrent pancreatitis.