Uncinate process of pancreas

In the head of the pancreas, the angle of junction of the lower and left lateral borders forms a prolongation, termed the uncinate process.

During the embryonic development of the distal foregut, the duodenum c-shape is formed while rotating the ventral pancreatic bud into the dorsal bud. The dorsal and ventral pancreatic buds fuse. The dorsal pancreatic bud becomes the body, tail, and isthmus of the pancreas and the ventral pancreatic bud forms the pancreatic head and uncinate process.

Note the uncinate process, unlike the remainder of the organ, passes posteriorly to the superior mesenteric vessels.

External links

• uncinate+process+of+pancreas at eMedicine Dictionary
• SUNY Labs 39:09-0106 - "The Pancreas"
• SUNY Figs 39:03-11 - "The duodenum and pancreas."
• pancreas at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University)

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.