Cecum: a constructive structure and the main purpose in the body

Before talking about the role of the cecum in the human body, it is necessary to clarify what it is. So, the cecum is the primary part of the large intestine, represented by a blind sacciform region, the length of which varies in the region of 3-8 cm. It has a cylindrical, rarely conical shape. There is quite a legitimate question: where is the cecum? Here it is necessary to clarify that its rear wall fits snugly to the muscles of the abdominal cavity (the large lumbar and ileal muscles), well, and the front wall, in turn, abuts the anterior abdominal surface. Conclusion suggests one: the cecum actively promotes digestive processes.

If we speak about the appearance of this kind of appendage, it should be mentioned that the cecum is surrounded on all sides by the peritoneum and contains a vermiform element (appendix), which is an important component of the immune defense. Such an "element" in most clinical pictures is located in the right ileal fossa, but it can also significantly shift into the cavity of the small pelvis. Most of the appendix contains a mesentery that unites it with the plane of the cecum and the surface of the last ileum, and its cavity is abundantly filled with lymphoid tissue, which is very much in demand for immunity.

It should be noted that with age, the cecum significantly changes its appearance. So, in older people it is stretched and has weakened walls, while in young people everything is fine, and this "process" is characterized by smaller dimensions and thickened walls. In addition, like the thick, the caecum contains taenia and haustra, where the second also expose the age-related changes in the body, since they are more clearly detected in the young organism than in the elderly.

It is important to note that the cecum in its histological structure is no different from the wall of the colon, and its mucosa forms small folds, in particular, two valve-shaped with predominance of muscle fibers, and one single. In addition, the mucosa is dominated by the Lieberkunov glands and goblet cells, and below it is the tunica submucosa, which is represented by a loose connective tissue consisting of fat cell structures and smooth muscle fibers.

If we talk about the appointment of the cecum, it should be clarified that it takes a direct part in the digestion process. Define more specifically the functions of the cecum.

As is known, the main digestion and further absorption of split elements predominate directly in the small intestine, while the enzymatic digestion of food still lasts in the blind, but the saturation of such processes is not so significant.

It has already been scientifically proven that about 3% of carbohydrates and proteins are digested and absorbed in the large intestine, and the caecum is responsible exclusively for sucking the fluid secreted into the small intestine during direct digestion. Liquid intestinal contents in the ascending and cecum colon thicken, and in the transverse colon the staining diffuses acquire a more compact consistency, modifying in the distal parts of the colon into more dense ones. If we talk about its indispensability, we must focus on the fact that the cecum does not play an important role in the human body, but its element is irreplaceable in the body - the appendix, whose lymphoid follicles are directly involved in the defense processes. No wonder many medical sources say that the appendix is a kind of reserve of the immune system.

It is important to recall that the cecum, even if not its inessential dimensions, is prone to pathological processes that often entail serious diseases.