Lecture 17 Flashcards
What are the 2 parts of the pancreas
Exocrine
- Acini: secrete digestive enzymes and bicarbonate
Endocrine
- Islets of langerhans: secrete hormones

Pancian Corpiscles
Incidental findings or pancreas
- Ectopic pancreatic tissue
- Pacinian corpsuscles
- Pancreatic calculi
- Stromal fat infiltration
- Autolysis is very rapid after death
What is the problem with failure of pancreas to secrete digestive enzymes
- Inadequate pancreatic secretions cause incomplete digestion
- Maldigestion and secondary melabsorption - weight loss
- Build up of undigestied nutrients - malabsorption
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
Causese of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
Exocrine pancreatic atrophy
Chronic, recurrent pancreatitis -> most common in cats
What does exocrine pancreatic atrophy results from
Dramatically reduced pancreatic mass
- Somethhing in immune system is causing atrophy
Most common in shepards and collies
Usually in young animals
Signs of maldigestion

Pancreatic atrophy - low enzyme levels
Mechanisms of pancreatitis include
- Obstruction of pancreatic ducts
- Direct injury to aciner cells
- Disturbed enzyme flow in acinear cells
- High fat meals
- Idiopathic
Where do you see acute pancreatitis
Dogs, esp obese, sedentary bitches
What happens woth acute pancreatitis
Necrosis and inflammation
Leakage/release of activates pancreatic enzymes
- trypin
Autodigestion
What is the gross pathology of acute pancreatitis
- Degeneration/necrosis
- Degeneration of BV
- Fat necrosis
What is the histopathology pathology of acute pancreatitis
- Extensive haemorrhage
- Necrosis of pancreatic parenchyma
- Inflammatory cell infiltration
- Fibrinous exudate in septa
- Fat necrosis

Acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis

Pancreatitis with enzymatic fat necrosis
Effects of acute pancreatitis
Fatal when severe
- Wide spread vascular damage
- Shock
- DIC
- Sudden death
What are the two syndromes of pancreatitis in cats
- Acute pancreatic necrosis
- Suppurative pancreatitis
When do you see acute pancreatsis in horses
Migration of strongyle larvae
What causes chronic pancreatitis
Where the liver cant regnerate
What deos chronic pancreatitis cause
- Fibrosis
- Atrophy
- Lymphoplasmacytic infiltration
Gross pathology of chronic pancreatitis
- Shrunken and nodular
- Fibrous adhesions to adjacent tissue
Histopathology of chronic pancreatitis
- Fibrosis and atrophy
- Lymphoplasmacytic infltration






