Pancreas Anatomy (Advanced)

Pancreas Facts:
1. The pancreas is the primary enzyme producing organ of the digestive system.
2. The head of the pancreas lies near the duodenum, the body lies retroperitoneal, the tail lies behind the greater curvature of the stomach.
3. The secretory units of the pancreas are called acini.

• Acini are exocrine secretory cells surrounding ducts.
• They secrete pancreatic juice (an alkaline enzymatic fluid).
• The enzymes digest the whole range of food groups: carbohydrates (amylase), proteins (trypsin, chymotrypsin) and fats (lipase).
• The ducts run into the pancreatic duct.

4.The pancreatic duct fuses with the common bile duct, which brings bile from the liver and gall bladder to the duodenum. This is called the greater papilla (also the Ampulla of Vater and the hepatopancreatic ampulla). They dump into the duodenum thought the Sphincter of Oddi.
5. Pancreas also has an endocrine function producing hormones:

• Insulin - Produced my acinar tissue called the islets of Langerhans.
• Glucagon