Uncinate process of pancreas
Uncinate process of pancreas | |
---|---|
Tail of pancreas 12: Duodenum | |
Details | |
Artery | superior mesenteric artery |
Identifiers | |
Latin | processus uncinatus pancreatis |
TA98 | A05.9.01.003 |
TA2 | 3116 |
FMA | 15857 |
Anatomical terminology] |
The uncinate process is a small part of the
Structure
Development
The pancreas arises as two separate bodies, the dorsal pancreas and the ventral pancreas. The dorsal pancreas appears first, at around day 26, opposite the developing
During development, differential growth of the wall of the
The ventral pancreatic bud forms the pancreatic head and uncinate process. The glands continue to develop but the duct systems anastomose. The main pancreatic duct is formed by the fusion of the dorsal and ventral pancreas.
The embryology also explains the strange zig-zag course of the main
The uncinate process, unlike the remainder of the organ, passes posteriorly to the superior mesenteric vein (it can pass posteriorly to the superior mesenteric artery, but this is less common).
Clinical significance
Sometimes the pancreas fails to develop normally and there may be congenital defects associated with the uncinate process. The uncinate process may split and encircle the duodenum, which is known as an annular pancreas.[3] There is also a common condition called pancreas divisum where the dorsal and ventral pancreas do not fuse properly.
References
This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 1200 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)
- ^ "Arnold's Glossary of Anatomy". Archived from the original on 2018-10-31.
- S2CID 40495444. Archived from the original(PDF) on 21 January 2019.
- ^ Drake et al, Gray's Anatomy for Students, Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier (2010), 2nd edition, chapter 4
External links
- Anatomy photo:39:09-0106 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "The Pancreas"
- Anatomy figure: 39:03-11 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "The duodenum and pancreas."
- pancreas at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University)