Created by: Kristen Benish,
Anastacia Arabie, Gloria Lopez
And Victoria Herbin
Dr. Glothfelty
A&P 1 AM Class
Large Intestine
The shape and place:
By Victoria Herbin
Wiki.answersw.com
The colon is shaped like an U. The colon (large intestine) is
housed within the abdominal cavity. It starts in the lower right
quarter of the abdominal cavity, it is in the waist area. The
colon runs along the right side of the body. It reaches just
below the liver.
The Part of the colon
The function and purpose:
The colon is also called the large
intestine is a 6ft muscular tube. This
tube is connected to the small
intestine. There are four main parts.
They are: cecum, ascending colon,
transverse colon, descending colon,
and the sigmoid colon which is all
connected to the rectum.
The Function Of The Colon (Large Intestine)
The large intestine is responsible for processing
waste so that emptying the bowels. Waste that
is left over from digestive process it passes
through the colon by peristalsis. First it is in a
liquid state and then ultimately it comes to a
solid form. The stool passes through the colon,
and then the water is removed.
Then the stool is stored in the sigmoid colon
until it becomes a mass movement. It then
empties into the rectum once or twice a day.
When the descending colon is full with stool or
feces it then empties all of its contents in to the
rectum. That is where the process of elimination
can begin.
By: Anastacia
Arabie
www.news-medical.net
• The Large Intestine is the second
to last part of the digestive
system, the final stage of the
alimentary canal is the anus. The
function is to absorb water from
the remaining indigestible food
matter, and then to pass useless
waste material from the body.
The Large Intestine takes 32
hours to finish up the remaining
process of the digestive system.
Food is not broken down any
further in this stage of digestion.
• The Large Intestine is simply
there to absorb vitamins that
are created by the bacteria
inhabiting the colon. It also
absorbs water and compacts
feces, and stores fecal matter in
the rectum. The Large Intestine
is wider than the small intestine,
and the longitudinal layer of
the muscularis is a 3 strap like
structures known as the taeniae
coli, each are about 5mm wide.
The wall of the Colon is lined
with simple columnar epithelium.
• . The Colon houses over 700
species of bacteria that perform a
variety of functions. Undigested
polysaccharides (fiber) are
metabolized to short-chain fatty
acids by bacteria in the large
intestine and absorbed by passive
diffusion. The bicarbonate the
large intestine secretes helps to
neutralize the increased acidity
resulting from the formation of
these fatty acids.
• These bacteria also produce large
amounts of vitamins, especially
vitamin K and Biotin (a B vitamin),
for absorption into the blood.
Although this source of vitamins
generally provides only a small
part of the daily requirement, it
makes a significant contribution
when dietary vitamin intake is low.
The most prevalent bacteria are
the bacteroides, which have been
implicated in the initiation of colitis
and colon cancer. Bifidobacteria
are also abundant, and are often
described as 'friendly bacteria'.
• Parts of the large intestine are:
• Cecum – the first part of the
large intestine
• Taeniae coli – three bands of
smooth muscle
• Haustra – bulges caused by
contraction of taeniae coli
• Epiploic appendages – small
fat accumulations on the viscera
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Locations along the colon are:
The ascending colon
The right colic flexure (hepatic)
The transverse colon
The transverse mesocolon
The left colic flexure (splenic)
The descending colon
The sigmoid colon – the vshaped region of the large
intestine
By: Kristen Benish
http://www.cchs.net/health/healthinfo/docs/1600/1699.asp?index=
7041
The rectum is a straight chamber that is 8inches long that connects to the colon to the
anus. The job of the rectum is to receive
stool from the colon to let the person know
that there is a stool to be evacuated. When
anything such as gas or stool comes into the
rectum it sends a message to the brain, then
decides if the rectal contents can be
released the sphincters relax and the
rectum then contracts, disposing its feces.
The spinal cord regulates the nerve
impulses that initiate the reflexive
contractions of the rectum that result in
bowel movements.
The walls of the rectum is smooth and
flexible allowing it to expand to
accommodate collected fecal
materials. The rectum is also a
frequent site of vulnerable cancer.
The rectum is a muscular ring that is at
the end of the large intestine. The
rectum also acts as a temporary
storage site for fecal matter before it
is eliminated from the body. The food
we eat is then broken down and
nutrients are absorbed in the stomach.
Fecal matter is made up of digestive
juices, bacteria, and fiber continues to
move into the rectum. The rectum
holds the feces until you push it out of
your body.
By: Gloria Lopez
www.webmd.com
• The anus controls the expulsion
of the feces. The flow of feces
through the anus is controlled
by the anal sphincter muscle.
The internal and external
sphincter muscle relax,
allowing the feces to be
passed by muscles and pulling
the anus up over the exiting
feces.
• Feces is temporarily stored
in the rectum and expelled
from the body via the
anus. An anal fissure is a
tear or split in the lining of
the anus {anal mucosa}.
The symptoms and signs
include pain when passing
a bowel motion and bright
red blood from the anus.
• The problem is common in
children younger than one
year, and affects around
eight out of ten babies. A
person’s susceptibility to
anal fissures tend to
decline with age. Common
causes in adults include
constipation and trauma to
the anus {such as difficult
childbirth}.
• Around half of cases heal
by themselves with proper
self-care and avoidance of
constipation. However
healing can be a problem
if the pressure of passing
bowel motion constantly
reopens the fissure.
Treatment options include
surgery.
•
•
•
•
•
Anal pain
Pain when passing a motion and for some time afterward
Bright red blood from the anus
Blood on the surface of the stool
Blood smears on the toilet paper