Where is the pancreas located in the body?
Where is the pancreas located in the body?
The pancreas is a gland, about six inches long, located in the abdomen. It is shaped like a flat pear and is surrounded by the stomach, small intestine, liver, spleen and gallbladder. The wide end of the pancreas on the right side of the body is called the head. The middle sections are the neck and body.
What enzymes are produced by the pancreas?
The pancreas consists of exocrine glands that produce enzymes trypsin and chymotrypsin that are essential for digestion. These enzymes contain chymotrypsin and trypsin to digest proteins, amylase for the digestion of carbohydrates and lipase to break down fats.
Where is the accessory duct of the pancreas located?
In addition to the main duct, the pancreas also contains an accessory duct. It communicates with the main pancreatic duct at the level of the pancreatic neck and opens into the descending part of the duodenum at the minor duodenal papilla .
What are the two main players in the pancreatic system?
The main players responsible for pancreatic function are endocrine and exocrine glands. The latter synthesize inactive pancreatic digestive enzymes (zymogens), which are released into the glandular and pancreatic ductal systems.
What is the head and tail of the pancreas?
The head of the pancreas is on the right side of the abdomen and is connected to the duodenum through the pancreatic duct. The tail of the pancreas extends to the left side of the body.
What is the thin end of the pancreas called?
The thin end of the pancreas on the left side of the body is called the tail. The uncinate process is the part of the gland that bends backwards and underneath the head of the pancreas.
What is the average size of an islet in the pancreas?
Most islets (islets of Langerhans) that collectively comprise the endocrine pancreas are too small to be seen by gross examination, and thus they were not depicted in Figures 1-13. Islets vary greatly in size; ~70% are in the size range of 50-250 μm in diameter in humans with an average in the range of 100-150 μm (4).