Title: Large Intestine Anatomy, Function, Location, Length and Role in Digestion
Headings: Large intestine
Large intestine
Large intestine
Figure 1. Large intestine
Figure 2. Large intestine location
Figure 3. Large intestine and small intestine
Figure 4. Anal canal
Blood supply to the large intestine
Function of large intestine
Functions of the large intestine:
Motility
Absorption of Water and Electrolytes
Production/Absorption of Vitamins
Mechanism
Figure 5. Large intestine anatomy
Mechanical Digestion in the Large Intestine
Chemical Digestion in the Large Intestine
Large Intestine Microbes and Gas
Absorption and Feces Formation in the Large Intestine
The Defecation Reflex
Figure 6. Defecation neural control
Large intestine problems
Disorders of Large Intestinal Motility
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Hirschsprung Disease: Megacolon
Diverticulosis/Diverticulitis
Large Intestine Inflammation
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Ischemic colitis
Infectious colitis
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Content: Figure 1. Large intestine
The pelvic cavity is narrower than the abdominal cavity, so at the hip bone, the colon turns medially and travels along the iliac fossa before turning downward at the pelvic inlet into the pelvic cavity. The resulting S-shaped portion of the tract is called the sigmoid colon. Visual examination of this region is performed with an instrument called a sigmoidoscope. In the pelvic cavity, the large intestine continues as the rectum, about 15 cm long. Despite its name, the rectum is not quite straight but has three lateral curves as well as an anteroposterior curve. It has three infoldings called transverse rectal folds (rectal valves), which enable it to retain feces while passing gas. The final 3 cm of the large intestine is the anal canal, which passes through the levator ani muscle of the pelvic floor and terminates at the anus. Here, the mucosa forms longitudinal ridges called anal columns with depressions between them called anal sinuses. As feces pass through the canal, they press the sinuses and cause them to exude extra mucus and lubricate the canal during defecation.