Pancreas

The pancreas is a glandular organ in the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is located in the abdominal cavity behind the stomach. It is an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, and pancreatic polypeptide which circulate in the blood. The pancreas is also a digestive organ, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that assist digestion and absorption of nutrients in the small intestine. 

The pancreas is an endocrine organ that lies in the abdomen, specifically the upper left abdomen. It is found behind the stomach, with the head of the pancreas surrounded by the duodenum. The pancreas is typically 5.75–9.5 cm long.

Anatomically, the pancreas is divided into a head, which rests within the concavity of the duodenum, a body lying behind the base of the stomach, and a tail, which ends abutting the spleen. The neck of the pancreas lies between the body and head, and is in front of the superior mesenteric artery and vein. The head of the pancreas surrounds these two vessels, and a small uncinate process emerges from the lower part of the head, lying behind the superior mesenteric artery.

The pancreas receives blood from branches of both the coeliac artery and superior mesenteric artery. The splenic artery runs along the top margin of the pancreas, and supplies the neck, body and tail of the pancreas through its pancreatic branches, the largest of which is called the greater pancreatic artery. The superior pancreaticoduodenal artery and inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery run along the front and back surfaces of the head of the pancreas at its border with the duodenum. These supply the head of the pancreas.

The body and neck of the pancreas drain into splenic vein; the head drains into the superior mesenteric and portal veins.