Small & Large Intestine (Photos)

No institutional email? Start your 1 week free trial, now!

Small intestine

Long tube that coils upon itself
it's the primary site of nutrient absorption
Its length increases contact with absorptive tissues, which optimizes nutrient absorption.
Small intestine subdivisions:

— Duodenum, which is relatively short, and receives chyme from the stomach. — Jejunum, which is the longer middle segment. — Ileum, which is the terminal segment of the small intestine.

Large intestine

Primary site of water absorption.
Large intestine subdivisions:

— Ascending colon, which ascends the right side of the abdomen. — Transverse colon, which passes along the transverse plane of the body. — Descending colon, which descends the left side of the abdomen. — The sigmoid colon, which is the S-shaped (aka, sigmoid) portion of the colon within the pelvis. — Cecum, which is a small, pouch-like structure. — Vermiform appendix extends from the cecum; this wormlike (aka, "vermiform") structure houses lymphoid tissue. — Rectum is the distal-most portion of the large intestine and receives the sigmoid colon.

Photo Credits: https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/bluelink/resources/bluelinks

Small & Large Intestine (Photos)

Related Tutorials