Surgery | Basic Science | Abdominal Viscera: Large Intestine

Abdominal Viscera: Large Intestine
Session Overview
Description
This session outlines the anatomy of the colon, its arterial and venous blood supply, lymphatic drainage and relationship to important adjacent structures: including the ureters, duodenum, liver and gallbladder, stomach, spleen and peritoneum.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Describe the histology of the colon
• Identify the components which make up the colon and explain their relationship to the peritoneum and adjacent structures
• Outline the arterial supply, venous and lymphatic drainage of the colon
• Differentiate between the colon and small intestine based on their differing macroscopic and microscopic features

The large intestine is readily distinguished from the small intestine by its:

• Greater calibre
• The three bands of longitudinal muscle, the taeniae coli
• Sacculated appearance throughout most of its length
• Possession in many parts of fatty appendages, the appendices epiploicae
• Attachment to a part of it by the greater omentum
• Relative greater fixity than small bowel or stomach