Protect Pancreas

Abdominal pain has many reasons. A much less talked about reason is problems with the vital organ. Lets find out.

- Dr Anil Arora & Dr Shrihari

Pancreas is an indispensable organ of the digestive system responsible for several important functions in the body. The term “pancreas” in Greek means “all-flesh”; referring to its fleshy consistency. The development of pancreas in the human fetus starts as early as five weeks of gestation when two pancreatic buds (dorsal and ventral) arise from the maturing foregut and fuse in due course to form the mature organ. Both in intrauterine period as well as after birth, a healthy functioning pancreatic gland is essential to prevent several disease conditions.

THE LOOK OF IT

Pancreas is a “J” or “hockey stick” shaped organ which is oriented horizontally and situated in the upper abdomen behind the stomach. It is approximately 15 cm in length and is divided in parts like head, neck, uncinate process, body and tail. The head is in close proximity to and fits snuggly into the “C” shaped loop of the duodenum. The neck lies anterior to the vertebral column and is in close relation to important blood vessels like the superior mesenteric vein, portal vein and the superior mesenteric artery. The uncinate process extends posterior to these vessels. The tail of pancreas lies just near the splenic hilum.