Welcome to Gastrointestinal System Anatomy.
Have you ever wondered what happens to your food after you've chewed
the last delicious bite?
How does the food you eat turn into energy for your body?
Let s find out.
We'll explore the main parts of the gastrointestinal system and each parts function
to answer these questions.
The abdomen is divided into four quadrants.
These are: * The right upper quadrant (RUQ)
* The left upper quadrant (LUQ) * The right lower quadrant (RLQ), and
* The left lower quadrant (LLQ)
Now, let s take a closer look at what s in each quadrant and how each organ helps
your body break down food into the water, minerals, and nutrients your body needs.
The liver is a large organ.
It s found in both the right upper quadrant (RUQ) and the left upper quadrant (LUQ)
The liver performs many functions to keep the body healthy, but its primary role in the
digestive system is to process and filter anything you eat or drink.
The gall bladder is a pouch that's under the liver
in the right upper quadrant.
It works with the liver to both store and concentrate bile from the liver,
which breaks down fats.
The common bile duct is tube-like and located in the right upper quadrant (RUQ).
It carries bile from the liver and gall bladder into the duodenum
by passing it through the pancreas.
The stomach is located between the esophagus and small intestine
in the left upper quadrant (LUQ).
This muscular organ holds food and mixes it with stomach enzymes.
This breaks down food so it can be absorbed into the body.
The cecum is found at the first part of the large intestines.
It connects the small intestines to the colon.
Located in the right lower quadrant (RLQ), the cecum further digests food
from the small intestines.
The appendix is located in the RLQ, just below the cecum.
We don t know it's exact purpose, but we do know we can live without one, if necessary.
The ascending colon is located between the cecum and the traverse colon in
both the RUQ and RLQ.
Also called the right colon, the ascending colon is the first part of the colon.
It accepts partially digested food from the small intestines.
The transverse colon is the horizontal piece of colon that transverses
from right to left between the ascending and descending colon.
This is the longest part of the colon and it s located in both the RUQ and LUQ.
The transverse colon play an important role in digestion by absorbing water, minerals,
and nutrients from our food.
The pancreas is located behind the stomach in the RUQ.
Pancreas enzymes aid in the digestive process by breaking down sugars, fats, and starches.
The descending colon is part of the large intestines located just
before the sigmoid colon in the left upper quadrant (LUQ) and the left lower quadrant (LLQ).
This part of the colon stores feces to be emptied into the rectum.
The sigmoid colon is part of the large intestines.
It's found in the Left lower quadrant (LLQ).
This is the last portion of the colon and it attaches to the rectum.
The sigmoid colon is tasked with holding feces until you go to the bathroom.
The rectum is located between the sigmoid colon and the anus.
The rectum receives stool from the colon and holds it until you can go to the bathroom.
Every organ in your gastrointestinal tract works together to help your body
break down and process the food you eat.
They turn food into water, minerals, and nutrients necessary for your survival.
In this video, we explored where each organ is located and how they work together.
This completes Gastrointestinal System Anatomy.
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