Treatment for Pancreatic Conditions
Depending on the disease, healthcare providers treat pancreatic issues in several ways:
- Diabetes: Insulin replacement.
- Pancreatic Cancer: Chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.
- Pancreatitis: dietary modifications, medicines, and occasionally surgery.
Some folks might require a pancreatectomy or a pancreatic transplant (surgical removal of some or all of the pancreas). Less frequently, individuals may undergo a liver transplant to maintain insulin function in the islets of Langerhans (pancreatic cells that produce insulin and glucagon).
Pancreas
The pancreas is a six-inch-long gland located in the abdomen. It has the shape of a flat pear and is surrounded by the stomach, small intestine, liver, spleen, and gallbladder. The head refers to the wide end of the pancreas on the right side of the body. The neck and body are the middle sections. The tail is the thin end of the pancreas on the left side of the body. The uncinate process is the part of the pancreas that bends backward and lies beneath the pancreas head. The superior mesenteric artery and vein, both vital blood vessels, cross behind the pancreas’s neck and in front of the uncinate process. The pancreas is an exocrine and endocrine gland with two primary functions: digestion and blood sugar regulation.