Duodenum, Pancreas, and Spleen, Anterior View

Description

Centered in the upper abdomen, the pancreas spans transversely from its head seated within the C shaped duodenum to its tapering tail approaching the splenic hilum. The duodenum curves on the viewer’s left, with the descending second part lying lateral to the pancreatic head and the inferior horizontal segment passing inferior to it, framing the gland’s uncinate region in anterior projection. Laterally on the viewer’s right, the spleen occupies the left hypochondrium, positioned superior and lateral to the pancreatic tail. Tortuous splenic vessels track along the superior border of the pancreatic body toward the spleen, a clear anterior landmark for the pancreatic body and tail. This anterior relationship matters when you are teaching why pancreatic disease rarely stays confined to the gland. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma in the head can obstruct the distal common bile duct near the ampulla of Vater, while pancreatitis often extends along peripancreatic planes and can threaten the splenic artery or splenic vein, predisposing to pseudoaneurysm or splenic vein thrombosis with left sided portal hypertension. Short. For operative anatomy, the proximity of the pancreatic tail to the splenic hilum explains why distal pancreatectomy frequently involves splenectomy or meticulous splenic vessel preservation. Use this plate for gross anatomy and GI blocks to anchor discussions of foregut rotation, retroperitoneal fixation of the pancreas, and the duodenopancreatic junction, and for surgical or radiology teaching when correlating anterior anatomy with CT appearances of the pancreatic head in the duodenal loop and the splenic vessels along the pancreatic superior margin. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.