What is the cecum and what does it do?
The main functions of the cecum are to absorb fluids and salts that remain after completion of intestinal digestion and absorption and to mix its contents with a lubricating substance, mucus. The internal wall of the cecum is composed of a thick mucous membrane, through which water and salts are absorbed.
What is inflammation of the cecum?
Typhlitis (Neutropenic Enterocolitis) Typhlitis refers to inflammation of a part of the large intestine known as the cecum. It’s a severe condition that usually affects people with a weakened immune system. They can’t fight off infections like people with healthy immune systems.
Is the cecum in the abdominal cavity?
The cecum is a short, pouch-like region of the large intestine between the ascending colon and vermiform appendix. It is located in the lower right quadrant of the abdominal cavity inferior and lateral to the ileum.
What organ is below the cecum?
The appendix (an appendage of the cecum), also called vermiform process or vermiform appendix, is a tubular structure with a blind end attached to the cecum. The base of the appendix lies on the posteromedial wall of the cecum 1-2 cm below the ileocecal junction.
Are the cecum and appendix the same thing?
The cecum is a blind side passage at the beginning of the large intestine. It hangs downward in the right iliac fossa, lying almost free of peritoneal attachments. Here’s the appendix, sometimes called the vermiform appendix. It’s a vestigial but potentially troublesome structure.
Where is your bowel left or right?
The colon is about 5 feet long and circles the abdomen up the right side, across, and down the left side. It then descends into the lowest part of the colon, or the rectum. The rectum connects to the anus, which is the opening from which stools leave the body.
How can you tell if your intestines are inflamed?
Abdominal cramps and pain. Diarrhea that may be bloody. Severe urgency to have a bowel movement. Fever.
What side is bowel pain?
Gas in the intestine causes pain for some people. When it collects on the left side of the colon, the pain can be confused with heart disease. When it collects on the right side of the colon, the pain may feel like the pain associated with gallstones or appendicitis.