The Abdomen: The Pancreas

The Abdomen: The Pancreas

The pancreas lies retroperitoneally and differs in size, location, and shape from person to person. The head lies in the curve of the duodenum, the body behind the stomach, and the tail touches the spleen (Figure 19). Its function is secretion of the major enzymes for digestion including trypsin, amylase and lipase. Trypsin acts on proteoses and peptones which are processed products of protein. Amylase helps process starches and lipase acts on fats. The pancreas (Figure 20) is also involved in the production of the hormones insulin and glucagon. These two hormones are sent directly into the bloodstream rather than being collected into a duct system.

Imaging of the Abdomen (Figure 19)

Contrast enhanced CT of the abdomen. The body and tail of the pancreas are clearly shown in the image to the left. The pancreas typically reaches a length of 5 to 6 inches in the adult.

Multi Phase Study - Cancer of the Pancreatic Head (Figure 20)

The study performed in this figure is called multi-phasic because acquisition is done using a pre-contrast exam, an arterial phase, a venous phase and a delayed phase. The delayed phase is particularly important when evaluating hemangiomas because they tend to fill slowly. This case demonstrates CA of the pancreatic head. Note the excellent low contrast resolution on the pre-contrast phase. You can clearly see the delineation of the organs without contrast.