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| {{Infobox Anatomy | | |||
| Name = {{PAGENAME}} | | |||
| Latin = intestinum crassum | | |||
| GraySubject = 249 | | |||
| GrayPage = 1177 | | |||
| Image = Intestine.png | | |||
| Caption = Front of abdomen, showing the large intestine, with the stomach and small intestine in dashed outline. | | |||
| Image2 = Gray1223.png | | |||
| Caption2 = Front of abdomen, showing surface markings for liver (red), and the stomach and large intestine (blue). | | |||
| Precursor = | | |||
| System = | | |||
| Artery = | | |||
| Vein = | | |||
| Nerve = | | |||
| Lymph = ] | | |||
| MeshName = | | |||
| MeshNumber = | | |||
| DorlandsPre = i_11 | | |||
| DorlandsSuf = 12456545 | | DorlandsSuf = 12456545 | | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| The | |||
| The '''large intestine''' is the last part of ]: the final stage of the ] in ] ]s. It is the organ where most liquids and minerals are absorbed from ] ], as well as a few remaining ]s. | |||
| The large intestine starts in the right ] of the ], just at or below the right waist. Near its top, a narrow connecting tube, called the '']'', joins the beginning of the colon to the bottom end of the ]. The large intestine is about 1.5 metres long, which is about one-fifth of the whole length of the ]. | |||
| ==Function and relation to other organs== | |||
| In the large intestine, water is reabsorbed from the ]. Salts are ] from the large intestine, and water follows by ], leaving dense ]. The ] are mainly ] ]; they are squeezed by muscle contractions of the colon down to the ]. There the ] are stored until they are eliminated via the ]. | |||
| The most obvious difference between the ] and the large intestine is that the large intestine is wider. The colon is also more fixed in position and has a ''sacculated'' form. It also has certain ]s to its external coat, called the '']'', as well as the better known '']'', which attaches to the very top end of the colon. | |||
| The large intestine's muscle fibers are also different from the ]: these small muscles do not form a continuous layer around the gut, but are arranged in three longitudinal muscular bands or ''tæniæ''. | The large intestine's muscle fibers are also different from the ]: these small muscles do not form a continuous layer around the gut, but are arranged in three longitudinal muscular bands or ''tæniæ''. | ||
Revision as of 16:51, 19 January 2007
DorlandsSuf = 12456545 |
}} The
The large intestine's muscle fibers are also different from the small intestine: these small muscles do not form a continuous layer around the gut, but are arranged in three longitudinal muscular bands or tæniæ.
Also different, the colon has no attachment to any gland (ignoring the disputed appendix).
Parts and location
The large intestine extends from the front top right of the pelvis or ileum, to the back rear center, or anus. Its route through the pelvis forms the shape of an arch that surrounds the convolutions of the small intestine. It is divided into four major parts; in order from the small intestine, they are the:
- cecum
- colon
- transverse
- descending
- sigmoid
It has attached the:
as well as several intestinal nerves, arteries, and veins.
The colon is widest at its start, near its juncture with the cecum. Its diameter gradually diminishes down to the rectum, at which point it becomes considerably narrower just above the anal canal.
The large intestine ascends from its beginning through the right lumbar and right hypochondriac regions to the under-surface of the liver. At the liver, it takes a bend to the left, called the right colic flexure, and then transverses the abdomen on the confines of the epigastric and umbilical regions, to the left hypochondriac region. It then bends again, this bend called the left colic flexure, and descends through the left lumbar and iliac regions to the bottom of the pelvis, where it forms a bend called the sigmoid flexure; from this it is continued along the posterior wall of the pelvis to the anus.
Additional images
-
Sigmoid colon and rectum, showing distribution of branches of inferior mesenteric artery and their anastomoses.
External links
- Overview and diagrams at seer.cancer.gov
- 09-118h. at Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy Home Edition
- Photo at mgccc.cc.ms.us
- Large+Intestine at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 1177 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)
| Anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract, excluding the mouth | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Lower |
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