Cecum 99597 211584133 2008-05-11T02:46:36Z Razorflame 5792322 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/75.211.13.225|75.211.13.225]] ([[User talk:75.211.13.225|talk]]) to last version by 24.91.178.77 {{Infobox Anatomy | Name = Cecum | Latin = | GraySubject = 249 | GrayPage = 1177 | Image = Stomach colon rectum diagram.svg | Caption = | Image2 = Gray1043.png | Caption2 = Superior ileocecal fossa. (Cecum labeled at bottom left.) | System = | Precursor = [[Midgut]] | MeshName = Cecum | MeshNumber = A03.556.124.526.209 | DorlandsPre = c_01 | DorlandsSuf = 12204134 | }} The '''cecum''' or '''caecum''' (from the [[Latin]] ''[[wikt:caecus|caecus]]'' meaning [[blind]]) is a pouch connected to the [[ascending colon]] of the [[large intestine]] and the [[ileum]]. It is separated from the ileum by the [[ileocecal valve]] (ICV) or Bauhin's valve, and is considered to be the beginning of the large intestine. It is also separated from the [[colon (anatomy)|colon]] by the [[cecocolic junction]]. ==Variation across species== The cecum is present in [[mammal]]s, and two ceca are present in most [[bird]]s (and some [[reptile]]s). Most [[herbivore]]s have a relatively large cecum, hosting a large number of [[bacterium|bacteria]], which aid in the [[enzyme|enzymatic]] breakdown of plant materials such as [[cellulose]]. Exclusive [[carnivore]]s, whose diets contain little or no plant material, have a reduced cecum; often partially or wholly replaced by the [[vermiform appendix]]. ==Etymology== The term cecum comes from the Latin, meaning blind gut or [[cul de sac]]. In [[dissection]]s by the [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] [[greek philosophy|philosophers]], the connection between the [[ileum]] of the [[small intestines]] and the cecum was not fully understood. Most of the studies of the [[Gastrointestinal tract|digestive tract]] were done on animals and the results were compared to human [[human anatomy|structures]]. The junction between the small intestines and the colon, called the ileocecal valve, is so small in some animals that it was not considered to be a connection between the small and large intestines. During a dissection, the colon could be traced from the [[rectum]], to the [[sigmoid colon]], through the [[descending colon|descending]], [[transverse colon|transverse]], and [[ascending colon|ascending]] sections. The colon seemed to dead-end into the cecum, or cul-de-sac. However, the connection between the end of the small intestines, ileum, and the start of the colon, cecum are now clearly understood, but the name has not changed. ==See also== * [[McBurney's point]] ==Additional images== <gallery> Image:McBurney's point.jpg|Location of McBurney's point (#1) Image:Gray534.png|The superior mesenteric artery and its branches. Image:Gray536.png|Arteries of cecum and vermiform process. Image:Gray1044.png|Inferior ileocecal fossa. Image:Gray1075.png|Interior of the cecum and lower end of ascending colon, showing colic valve. Image:Gray1224.png|Topography of thoracic and abdominal viscera. Image:Ileocecal valve.jpg|[[Colonoscopy|Endoscopic]] image of cecum with arrow pointing to [[ileocecal valve]] in foreground. </gallery> ==External links== * [http://learning.mgccc.cc.ms.us/science/cat/sld021.htm Photo at mgccc.cc.ms.us] * {{SUNYAnatomyFigs|37|03|08}} - "Abdominal organs in situ." * {{SUNYAnatomyFigs|37|06|09}} - "The larger intestine." * {{SUNYAnatomyFigs|39|05|09}} - "The cecum with the distal portion of the ileum." * {{SUNYAnatomyLabs|39|14|01|01}} - "Incisions of the Cecum" * {{ViennaCrossSection|pelvis/pelvis-e12-2}} * [http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/354/13/e12/DC1 Video clip of worms in the Cecum] {{digestive_system}} [[Category:Digestive system]] [[cs:Slepé střevo]] [[da:Blindtarm]] [[de:Blinddarm]] [[dv:ސީކަމް]] [[es:Ciego (anatomía)]] [[eo:Cekumo]] [[fr:Cæcum]] [[id:Usus buntu]] [[it:Cieco (anatomia)]] [[jv:Usus buntu]] [[la:Caecum]] [[lt:Akloji žarna]] [[nl:Blindedarm]] [[no:Blindtarm]] [[pl:Jelito ślepe]] [[pt:Ceco]] [[ru:Слепая кишка]] [[simple:Cecum]] [[sk:Slepé črevo]] [[sl:Slepo črevo]] [[fi:Umpisuoli]] [[sv:Blindtarm]] [[zh:盲肠]]