Quiz 3 Flashcards
Is the pancreas intraperitoneal or retroperitoneal?
Retroperitoneal
What are the names of the primary and secondary ducts in the pancreas?
- Duct of Wirsung or Pancreatic Duct
- Duct of Santorini or Accessory Duct
What is the most common congenital abnormality of the pancreas?
Ectopic Pancreatic Tissue: found outside the normal location of the pancreas, typically in the gastrointestinal tract.
What are the two functions of the pancreas?
- 90% Exocrine function digestion by Acini Cells
- 10% Endocrine function hormones made by Islets of Langerhans
Where is the endocrine function located?
Islets of Langerhans
What do the endocrine cells produce?
- Insulin (Alpha, Beta, Delta cells)
What are the three types of endocrine cells and what do they make?
- Beta Cells, Insulin hormone, glucose to glycogen
- Alpha Cells, Glucagon hormone, glycogen to glucose
- Delta Cells make Somatostatin which inhibits Beta and Alpha Cells.
What do the enzymes produced by the pancreas do in the body?
- Insulin causes glycogen formation from glucose in the liver
- Enables cells with insulin receptors to take up glucose and decrease blood sugar
- Glucagon raises blood sugar
- Somatostatin inhibits production of both insulin & glucagon
What is the function of the exocrine portion of the pancreas and what does it produce?
Digestive functions. Acini cells produce pancreatic juices
How much pancreatic juice is produced per day?
2L/day
What cells perform the production of pancreatic juices?
Acini cells
What are the enzymes produced by the pancreas?
- Amylase - Carbs to sugar
- Lipase - Fats
- Trypsin, Chymotrypsinogen, Carboxypeptidase - Proteins
- Nucleases - Nucleic acids
- Sodium Bicarbonate - neutralizes acids
What causes glucose to decrease?
Islets of Langerhan Tumors, hyperinsulinemia
What causes glucose to increase?
Diabetes, chronic liver disease, overactive endocrine glands
The sonographic appearance of the pancreas depends on what?
Fat deposits, more fat means more hyperechoic.
What causes pancreatitis?
Most common cause is gallstones, but also trauma, inflammation from peptic ulcer or infection, vascular thrombosis, drugs.
Gallstones are seen in what percent of pancreatitis cases?
40% to 60%
What are the clinical signs of pancreatitis?
- Persistent abdominal pain
- Fever
- Leukocytosis
- Abscess and hemorrhage
- Nausea and vomiting
- Elevated amylase & lipase
- Abdominal distention
What are the lab values that change with pancreatitis?
- Serum amylase rises in acute pancreatitis for the first 3-6 hours
- Urine amylase rises for about 7 hours but is NOT increased in chronic pancreatitis
- Lipase is risen longer in cancer and pancreatitis for 14 days
Normal pancreatic duct measures what?
No greater than 2mm
What are possible complications with pancreatitis?
Pseudocysts
What is the sonographic appearance of acute pancreatitis?
Enlarged, hypoechoic, heterogeneous, severe epigastric pain, caused by gallstones, elevated amylase and lipase
What is the sonographic appearance of chronic pancreatitis?
Shrunken, hyperechoic, calcifications, transient epigastric pain, caused by alcoholism, normal to slightly elevated labs.
What is a pancreatic pseudocyst?
Always acquired; they result from trauma to the gland, acute or chronic pancreatitis, or pancreatic cancer.