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Drifting with the breath

Pinned to the back wall of the abdomen, it sways gently rather than moving under its own power.

  • Head: Cradled by the duodenum
  • Uncinate Process: Hook curling back behind the mesenteric vessels
  • Neck: Narrow bridge between head and body
  • Body: Crosses the spine
  • Tail: Reaches the spleen
  • Islets of Langerhans: Insulin and glucagon — densest here in the tail
  • Acini: Enzyme-producing clusters making up most of the gland
  • Pancreatic Duct: The duct of Wirsung — runs the whole length of the gland, gathering side branches as it goes
  • Ampulla of Vater: Where bile and pancreatic ducts meet the duodenum
  • Accessory Duct: The duct of Santorini — the dorsal bud's original outlet, still open in about a third of people
  • Minor Duodenal Papilla: The accessory duct's opening, about 2 cm above the major papilla
  • Bile Duct Groove: The bile duct runs down the back of the head — a tumour here jaundices before it hurts
  • Pancreatic Notch: The step where the superior mesenteric vessels pass between neck and uncinate process
  • Splenic Artery: Runs a tortuous course along the superior border, feeding body and tail
  • Splenic Vein: Embedded in the back of the body — it joins the mesenteric vein behind the neck
  • Mesocolic Root: The transverse mesocolon takes off along the front — inflammation here spreads straight into the colon
Endocrine System

Pancreas

The quiet regulator · Pancreas
~2%of the gland makes hormones

A dual-purpose gland that releases digestive enzymes into the gut and the hormones that steady blood sugar.

Key facts

Size
About 15 cm long
Weight
70–100 g
Location
Behind the stomach, across the upper abdomen
Function
Digestive enzymes and insulin

Did you knowBarely 2% of it makes hormones; the rest is given over to digestive enzymes.

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Microscopic view

Pancreatic acini

Compare organs

Pancreas vs. liver

Function animation

Digestive enzymes and insulin

Clinical notes

Red flags

  • Severe epigastric pain boring straight through to the back, eased by sitting forward — acute pancreatitis.
  • Jaundice without pain, with a palpably distended gallbladder, points to a tumour in the pancreatic head.
  • New diabetes with weight loss after fifty deserves a look at the pancreas, not just a prescription.
  • Pancreatitis
  • Type 1 diabetes
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Exocrine insufficiency
  • Pancreatic cysts
  • Gallstone pancreatitis
  • Insulinoma
Where it works

Endocrine System

Ductless glands that release hormones into the blood, coordinating growth, metabolism, mood, and reproduction over minutes to years.

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