This is an annotated anatomic diagram of the ileum.
Anatomy of the ileum
The ileum is the last part of the small intestine, and the second longest part. It is connected to the cecum in the right upper abdomen. It extends down to the ileocecal valve at the lower right side of the abdomen. The ileum is a muscular tube that contains a very short portion of large intestine.
The ileum is about 8 inches in length. The cecum is 4–5 inches long. At its upper end is the ileocecal valve, which is a bend that connects the ileum to the large intestine.
The length of the ileum varies from person to person, depending on body type and habits. In general, it is longer in men than in women. It is longer in people with a higher body mass index (BMI) than it is in people with a lower BMI.
The ileum has a muscular wall. The circular layer is the largest and is attached at both ends to the longitudinal layer of smooth muscle. There is a muscularis mucosa that covers the villi. The muscularis mucosa contains short fibers of muscle that run in rows from the circular layer to the submucosa.
In this illustration, the ileum is cut into 3 sections. The cecum and the ileum are shown in the left lower section. The ileum and the cecum are in the center section. The right section is a schematic drawing of the ileum. The caecum is shown in red. The terminal ileum is the blue section. This is the section that attaches to the ileocecal valve and is found at the base of the appendix.
Functions
The ileum plays an important role in digestion. The ileum is a muscular tube that connects the cecum to the large intestine. The cecum and the ileum, both parts of the small intestine, each serve an important function. The cecum is the first part of the large intestine. It secretes bile into the duodenum. It absorbs food and digests it in the form of fatty acids. It also absorbs water from the colon and adds that to the bile. It produces a new bile and mixes it with the old bile. It also helps to
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