pancreas
Enable an AI agent to recognise a pancreas, distinguish its structural and functional states, and identify what assessment or intervention may be appropriate given the evidence and authority available.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
5 bundles · 10 layers · 10 findings · 20 questions
Pancreatic identity and anatomy Establishes which pancreas or pancreatic tissue is being described and its anatomical extent.
Organ context
Connects pancreatic identity to the host and acquisition or surgical history.
Pancreatic identity
Records the evidence that the observed structure is pancreatic tissue and identifies its organ context.
- What anatomical, operative or histological evidence establishes that this structure is pancreas? definition
- Is this a native pancreas, graft, postoperative remnant or isolated specimen, and which record establishes that context? provenance
Regional extent
Maps pancreatic regions and variations without assuming typical anatomy.
Pancreatic region map
Identifies present, altered, absent and unobserved regions and their neighbouring structures.
- Which pancreatic regions are present, resected, congenitally variant or not adequately visualised? boundary
- What are the measured regional dimensions, and which modality and date produced them? measurement
Exocrine production and drainage Separates pancreatic digestive secretion from its delivery through the duct system.
Duct system
Describes pancreatic duct anatomy and the continuity of drainage.
Duct continuity and outflow
Records duct configuration, calibre, narrowing, obstruction and leakage evidence.
- What main and accessory duct configuration and drainage connections are demonstrated? boundary
- Where are duct dilatation, narrowing, obstruction or disruption observed, and how were they established? measurement
Digestive secretory capacity
Assesses evidence that pancreatic exocrine output supports digestion.
Exocrine function evidence
Distinguishes demonstrated exocrine impairment from symptoms or structural changes alone.
- Which tests support the assessment of exocrine function, with what results, units and specimen conditions? measurement
- What evidence separates reduced pancreatic secretion from impaired delivery or a non-pancreatic cause of maldigestion? boundary
Endocrine secretory function Represents pancreatic hormone secretion and the limits of attributing systemic findings to the organ.
Hormone output
Records hormone-specific evidence under interpretable sampling conditions.
Endocrine capacity evidence
Captures evidence of deficient, preserved or inappropriate pancreatic endocrine secretion.
- Which pancreatic hormone or secretion proxy was assessed, and what were the result, units and reference context? measurement
- What concurrent glucose level, fasting or stimulation state, medication exposure and relevant clearance factors affect interpretation? provenance
Pancreatic attribution
Connects endocrine observations to pancreatic tissue while retaining alternative explanations.
Endocrine source and extent
Distinguishes organ-level loss of capacity from focal secretion and systemic influences.
- What evidence attributes the endocrine finding to pancreatic tissue rather than systemic demand, medication or altered clearance? boundary
- Is the finding linked to tissue loss, a focal pancreatic lesion or an unresolved source? definition
Pancreatic tissue and lesions Describes diffuse tissue changes, focal abnormalities and their evolution.
Diffuse tissue condition
Records regional or widespread changes in pancreatic parenchyma.
Parenchymal change
Tracks tissue appearance and viability with the evidential limits of each observation.
- Which regions show oedema, atrophy, fibrosis, fatty replacement, calcification or suspected necrosis, and by what method? measurement
- Which changes are directly observed, which are inferred, and what comparable prior evidence establishes progression or resolution? provenance
Focal abnormalities
Locates lesions and records their relationship to ducts and surrounding tissues.
Lesion origin and character
Distinguishes a pancreatic lesion from an adjacent abnormality and separates description from diagnosis.
- What establishes pancreatic origin, and how does the abnormality relate to pancreatic ducts and neighbouring structures? boundary
- What are its size, location, solid or cystic features and interval changes, and is any diagnostic classification supported by tissue sampling? measurement
Pancreatic intervention constraints Records organ-specific anatomy, prior alterations and functional consequences relevant to proposed actions.
Access and preservation
Captures anatomy and tissue status that constrain access and preservation.
Duct and vessel exposure
Identifies pancreatic ducts, vascular relationships and viable tissue relevant to an intended intervention.
- Which ducts, vessels and adjacent organs lie within or near the proposed intervention area? boundary
- What additional mapping or viability assessment does the responsible clinician require before sampling, drainage or resection? action
Altered pancreas follow-up
Connects surgical or transplant anatomy with drainage, tissue viability and remaining function.
Post-intervention pancreatic state
Records how an intervention changed pancreatic extent, connections and monitoring needs.
- What pancreatic tissue and drainage connections remain or were reconstructed, according to the operative record? provenance
- Which clinician-defined observations are required to assess leakage, obstruction, perfusion and remaining exocrine or endocrine function? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
- Other names and narrower kinds
- human pancreas
What it is Filled
This model owns the identity, anatomical boundaries, tissue condition, exocrine and endocrine capacities, and intervention-relevant constraints of an individual pancreas, including anatomical variants and partial or transplanted organs.
In scope
- Pancreatic identity, anatomical regions, variants and remaining organ extent
- Pancreatic ducts and their connections to digestive drainage pathways
- Exocrine secretion and evidence of effective digestive enzyme delivery
- Endocrine tissue function and evidence of pancreatic hormone secretion
- Local tissue changes, lesions and pancreatic complications
- Pancreas-specific assessment, preservation and intervention constraints
Out of scope
- Whole-person diagnosis, treatment planning and consent
- Systemic glucose regulation and diabetes management beyond pancreatic contribution
- Liver, gallbladder and extra-pancreatic biliary tract structure and disease
- Duodenal and intestinal function beyond their interface with pancreatic drainage
- Detailed classification and staging of pancreatic tumours as disease entities
- Procedural equipment, surgical technique and transplant allocation systems
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise a pancreas, distinguish its structural and functional states, and identify what assessment or intervention may be appropriate given the evidence and authority available.
Distinguishing features Filled
- A typical native pancreas has a head associated with the duodenum and a body and tail extending toward the spleen; location alone is insufficient for ectopic tissue or a transplant.
- Pancreatic tissue combines exocrine acinar and ductal components with endocrine islets; an individual sample may not capture all components.
- Pancreatic ducts carry exocrine secretions toward the duodenum, distinguishing the organ from adjacent lymph nodes, spleen and adrenal tissue.
- The pancreas produces digestive secretions and endocrine hormones, whereas the gallbladder stores bile; shared drainage relationships do not make them the same organ.
- A mass near the pancreas requires evidence of pancreatic origin or continuity before it is treated as part of the organ.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Diagnose pancreatic disease or diabetes in place of a clinician.
- Share a patient's pancreas imaging, test results or transplant records without consent.
- Influence organ allocation outside the official allocation system.
- Recommend unproven treatments for pancreatic cancer or pancreatitis.
Only with a human decision
- Any decision about pancreatic surgery, transplant or treatment.
May
- Explain pancreas anatomy and functions from medical references.
- Record and report an individual organ's data only within an authorized clinical or transplant system.
Moral aspects Filled
- Pancreatic cancer and diabetes carry heavy burdens; false hope and false alarm both harm patients.
- Organ transplant allocation must be fair and transparent.
Who is affected
- Patients
- Organ donors and their families
- Transplant recipients
Owners Filled
Steward
Each person has authority over their own body; transplant services keep records of donated organs.
Master systems
- Organ transplant registries
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q112826975 - registry parent class
- Q126131070 - registry parent class
- Q28846466 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.pancreas
- Wikidata: Q9618 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9618)
Direct properties required Filled
- Host and organ context: Host organism; native organ, graft, remnant or isolated specimen
- Anatomical extent: Head, uncinate process, neck, body and tail present, absent, altered or uncertain
- Regional dimensions: Millimetres or millilitres, with region, imaging method and observation date
- Duct configuration and patency: Observed duct course and connections; patent, narrowed, obstructed, disrupted or uncertain; diameter in millimetres
- Exocrine capacity: Preserved, impaired, unassessed or indeterminate, with supporting test and context
- Endocrine secretory capacity: Evidence of preserved, reduced or inappropriate secretion, or indeterminate status, by hormone and test context
- Parenchymal condition: Observed oedema, atrophy, fibrosis, fatty replacement, calcification, necrosis or no detected abnormality
- Focal abnormality: Linked lesion with region, size, solid or cystic appearance, duct relationship and evidential status
- Perfusion and vascular relationships: Observed perfusion and relationships to named vessels; preserved, compromised or uncertain
Recognition required Filled
- A soft, lobulated, elongated organ behind the stomach, seen in imaging or surgery.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Map pancreatic regions, ducts and neighbouring structures from documented observations.
- Compare serial imaging and functional evidence while preserving method and timing differences.
- Identify missing evidence needed to distinguish exocrine failure, endocrine dysfunction and structural disease.
- Flag documented duct obstruction, tissue compromise or other concerning findings for qualified clinical review.
- Assess whether proposed sampling, drainage, resection or graft monitoring has sufficient anatomical evidence and clinical authorization.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Acute pancreatitis can be life-threatening.
- Damage to its endocrine function causes diabetes.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Terminologia Anatomica, issued by the Federative International Programme for Anatomical Terminology of the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists, standardizes names for the human pancreas and its anatomical parts.
Context of use required Filled
- The pancreas contributes digestive enzymes to the intestine and releases hormones that help regulate blood glucose.
- In humans it lies mainly behind the stomach and is assessed in abdominal imaging, digestive disease evaluation and endocrine care.
- Its location and organization vary across vertebrate species, making species identification important in comparative anatomy.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q9618: pancreas - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Pancreas - general description of the item
Open questions
- Does the registry intend a human-specific pancreas model or a species-general model requiring distinct anatomical and physiological profiles?
- Should ectopic pancreatic tissue and isolated islet preparations be represented as instances, parts or related entities under the registry's granularity rules?
- Which measurements and reference frameworks are sufficiently validated across age, body size, imaging modality and postoperative anatomy?
- What evidence thresholds should distinguish descriptive pancreatic observations from confirmed functional impairment or disease attribution?
- Which assessment and escalation rules should the model reference for native organs, remnants and grafts, and which belong exclusively to linked clinical protocols?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q9618/spec.json