What is the pancreas?

The pancreas is a long flattened gland located deep in the belly (abdomen). Because the pancreas isn’t seen or felt in our day to day lives, most people don't know as much about the pancreas as they do about other parts of their bodies. The pancreas is, however, a vital part of the digestive system and a critical controller of blood sugar levels.

Where is the pancreas?

The pancreas is located deep in the abdomen. Part of the pancreas is sandwiched between the stomach and the spine. The other part is nestled in the curve of the duodenum (first part of the small intestine). To visualize the position of the pancreas, try this: touch your right thumb and right "pinkie" fingers together, keeping the other three fingers together and straight. Then, place your hand in the center of your belly just below your lower ribs with your fingers pointing to your left. Your hand will be the approximate shape and at the approximate level of your pancreas.
Because of the deep location of the pancreas, tumors of the pancreas are rarely palpable (able to be felt by pressing on the abdomen). This explains why most symptoms of pancreatic cancer do not appear until the tumor has grown large enough to interfere with the function of the pancreas or other nearby organs such as the stomach, duodenum, liver, or gallbladder

Parts of Pancreas

Your doctor may refer to different anatomic parts of the pancreas when discussing your disease. The part of the pancreas that a tumor arises in will affect the symptoms it causes and how it is treated. The pancreas is divided into four main parts.
 head

The head is the widest part of the pancreas. The head of the pancreas is found in the right side of abdomen, nestled in the curve of the duodenum. Using the hand analogy from earlier, the head of the pancreas corresponds to the palm of your hand.

uncinatprocess

abdomen. The uncinate hooks around two very important blood vessels, the superior mesenteric artery and the superior mesenteric vein. Again, using the hand anaology, the uncinate would correspond to your pinkie and thumb.

neck

The neck is the thin section of the gland between the head and the body of the pancreas. Using the hand analogy, the neck corresponds to your first knuckles.

body

The body is the middle part of the pancreas between the neck and the tail. The superior mesenteric artery and vein run behind this part of the pancreas. Using the hand analogy, the body corresponds to the middle of your fingers.

The tail is the thin tip of the pancreas in the left side of the abdomen, in close proximity with the spleen. Using the hand analogy, the tail corresponds The pancreas has two functional components The pancreas is really two glands that are intimately mixed together into one organ. The bulk of the pancreas is composed of “exocrine” cells that produce enzymes to help with the digestion of food. These exocrine cells release their enzymes into a series of progressively larger tubes (called ducts) that eventually join together to form the main pancreatic duct. The main pancreatic duct runs the length of the pancreas and drains the fluid produced by the exocrine cells into the duodenum, the first part of the small bowel. The second functional component of the pancreas is the "endocrine" pancreas. The endocrine pancreas is composed of small islands of cells, called the islets of Langerhans. These endocrine cells don’t release their secretions into the pancreatic ducts, instead they release hormones, such as insulin and glucagon, into the blood stream, and these hormones in turn help control blood sugar (glucose) levels.

The islets of Langerhans are the endocrine (endo= within) cells of the pancreas that produce and secrete hormones such as insulin and glucagon into the bloodstream. The pancreatic hormones, insulin and glucagon, work together to maintain the proper level of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Blood sugar is used by the body for energy.

What is pancreatic fluid?

Instead of carrying bile, the pancreatic duct carries the fluid containing the digestive enzymes produced by the acinar cells (exocrine cells) of the pancreas. The main pancreatic duct is normally only one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter and it has many small side branches. The main pancreatic duct merges with the bile duct in the head of the pancreas to form the ampulla of Vater (a widening of the duct just before it enters the duodenum). Just as was true for bile, the flow of pancreatic fluid is often blocked by tumors of the pancreas, and altered by pancreatic surgery. The flow of pancreatic fluid is indicated by the dark yellow arrow.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
CONTACT@9966047658
#SANDEEP KARRI