Topography
- Right lobe: in the mesoduodenum, along the descending duodenum.
- Body: at the angle between the two lobes, near the pylorus.
- Left lobe: in the deep leaf of the greater omentum, caudal to the greater curvature of the stomach, towards the spleen and the left kidney.
Ducts and islets
- Main pancreatic duct: in the cat it joins the bile duct and both open together at the major duodenal papilla.
- Accessory pancreatic duct: present in only about 20% of cats; it opens at the minor duodenal papilla. In the dog it is the other way round: the accessory duct is usually the main one.
- Pancreatic islets: the endocrine part; beta cells produce insulin.
Clinical relevance
- Pancreatitis: in the cat it is usually chronic with vague signs (lethargy, anorexia, weight loss); vomiting and abdominal pain are less obvious than in the dog. Diagnosis relies on feline pancreas-specific lipase and ultrasound, and it is often part of triaditis with cholangitis and enteropathy.
- Diabetes mellitus: resembles human type 2 diabetes, with insulin resistance (obesity, inactivity) and amyloid deposition in the islets. With early glycaemic control many cats go into remission. Diabetic neuropathy causes a typical plantigrade stance.
- Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency: in the cat intrinsic factor is produced only by the pancreas, so exocrine insufficiency comes with cobalamin deficiency.
3D model
The body and left lobe come from the CT of a cat (pixelbeaker model), simplified and registered to the atlas skeleton; the right lobe, not segmented there, is modelled along the descending duodenum (modelled fidelity).