Are glands present in goose pancreatic ducts? A light microscope study.

OBJECTIVE The objective of the present study was to investigate the histological structure of goose pancreatic ducts. DESIGN Tissue samples from the lobes and ducts of the pancreas were dissected under deep ether anesthesia. INTERVENTIONS Sections were stained using Crossmon's connective tissue method for general observations and Gomori's method for pancreatic islet cells. RESULTS The glands were found intermittently inside the connective tissue of the ducts starting from the interlobular ducts to the point where the pancreas emptied its contents into the duodenum as well as inside the muscular layer of the pancreatic ducts. Those glands contained centro-acinar cells and also had the same staining features as the acinus. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this was the first report of the presence of glands in the ducts of goose pancreas.