Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Cecum
open-in-new
<h2 id="structure">Structure</h2> <h3>Development</h3> <p>The cecum and appendix are derived from the bud of cecum that forms during week six in the midgut next to the apex of the umbilical herniation.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> Specifically, the cecum and appendix are formed by the enlargement of the postarterial segment of the midgut loop. The proximal part of the bud grows rapidly to form the cecum. The lateral wall of the cecum grows much more rapidly than the medial wall, with the result that the point of attachment of the <a href="/facts/Appendix_(anatomy)/ezanIJ5e">appendix</a> comes to lie on the medial side. The cecum's position changes after the midgut rotates and the ascending colon elongates, and the accumulation of meconium inside the cecum may result in the latter's increased diameter.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="history">History</h2> <h3>Etymology</h3> <p>The term <i>cecum</i> comes from Latin <i>(intestinum) caecum</i>, literally 'blind intestine', in the sense 'blind gut' or '<a href="/facts/Cul_de_sac/rACPttCC">cul de sac</a>'.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> It is a direct translation from Ancient Greek τυφλὸν (ἔντερον) <i>typhlòn</i> (<i>énteron</i>). Thus the inflammation of the cecum is called typhlitis. </p><p>In <a href="/facts/Dissection/7Tbbx3rr">dissections</a> by the <a href="/facts/Ancient_Greece/PTVBrWXq">Greek</a> <a href="/facts/Greek_philosophy/LWEkp8JX">philosophers</a>, the connection between the <a href="/facts/Ileum/rCWGkFuf">ileum</a> of the <a href="/facts/Small_intestine/1AQ8RJ4m">small intestine</a> and the cecum was not fully understood. Most of the studies of the <a href="/facts/Gastrointestinal_tract/nK2zwqBS">digestive tract</a> were done on animals and the results were compared to human <a href="/facts/Human_anatomy/WP1QbDTn">structures</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p><p>The junction between the small intestine and the colon, called the <a href="/facts/Ileocecal_valve/gFp1QLwa">ileocecal valve</a>, 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 <a href="/facts/Rectum/caqqyk2e">rectum</a>, to the <a href="/facts/Sigmoid_colon/vdrXYrG4">sigmoid colon</a>, through the <a href="/facts/Descending_colon/P0JSReSR">descending</a>, <a href="/facts/Transverse_colon/saYILnV0">transverse</a>, and <a href="/facts/Ascending_colon/X6d99N13">ascending</a> sections. The cecum is an end point for the colon with a dead-end portion terminating with the <a href="/facts/Appendix_(anatomy)/ezanIJ5e">appendix</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p><p>The connection between the end of the small intestine (ileum) and the start (as viewed from the perspective of food being processed) of the colon (cecum) is now clearly understood, and is called the ileocecal orifice. The connection between the end of the cecum and the beginning of the ascending colon is called the cecocolic orifice. </p> <h2 id="clinical-significance">Clinical significance</h2> <p>A cecal carcinoid tumor is a <a href="/facts/Carcinoid_tumor/18TLoUNn">carcinoid tumor</a> of the cecum. An <a href="/facts/Appendiceal_carcinoid_tumor/ezanIJ5e">appendiceal carcinoid tumor</a> (a carcinoid tumor of the appendix) is sometimes found next to a cecal carcinoid.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p><p><a href="/facts/Neutropenic_enterocolitis/URsCH8A6">Neutropenic enterocolitis</a> (typhlitis) is the condition of inflammation of the cecum, primarily caused by bacterial infections. </p><p>Over 99% of the bacteria in the gut are <a href="/facts/Anaerobe/bhQnlqCq">anaerobes</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> but in the cecum, <a href="/facts/Aerobic_bacteria/a629EQD7">aerobic bacteria</a> reach high densities.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="other-animals">Other animals</h2> <p>A cecum is present in most <a href="/facts/Amniote/TeLtDTrJ">amniote</a> species, and also in <a href="/facts/Lungfish/oNNrFFoE">lungfish</a>, but not in any living species of <a href="/facts/Amphibian/r2BleD2W">amphibian</a>. In <a href="/facts/Reptile/04n1uKf1">reptiles</a>, it is usually a single median structure, arising from the dorsal side of the large intestine. <a href="/facts/Bird/RJF6zwLP">Birds</a> typically have two paired ceca, as do, unlike other mammals, <a href="/facts/Hyrax/37F1c043">hyraxes</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> Parrots do not have ceca.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> </p><p>Most mammalian <a href="/facts/Herbivore/me4YFdQA">herbivores</a> have a relatively large cecum. In many species, it is considerably wider than the colon. For some herbivores such as <a href="/facts/Lagomorpha/0J5JT196">lagomorphs</a> (rabbits, hares, pikas), easily digestible food is processed in the gastrointestinal tract and expelled as regular feces. But in order to get nutrients out of hard to digest fiber, lagomorphs ferment fiber in the cecum and then expel the contents as <a href="/facts/Cecotrope/cmWgkG1g">cecotropes</a>, which are reingested (cecotrophy). The cecotropes are then absorbed in the small intestine to utilize the nutrients. </p><p>In contrast, obligate <a href="/facts/Carnivore/q6h6aSqe">carnivores</a>, whose diets contain little or no plant matter, have a reduced cecum, which is often partially or wholly replaced by the <a href="/facts/Appendix_(anatomy)/ezanIJ5e">appendix</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> Mammalian species which do not develop a cecum include <a href="/facts/Raccoon/BREQAMnp">raccoons</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> <a href="/facts/Bear/Y973Q4FP">bears</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> and the <a href="/facts/Red_panda/vYhwVn83">red panda</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a> </p><p>Many fish have a number of small outpockets, called <i>pyloric ceca</i>, along their intestine; despite the name, they are not <a href="/facts/Homology_(biology)/muctKlyT">homologous</a> with the cecum of amniotes – their purpose is to increase the overall area of the digestive epithelium.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a> Some invertebrates, such as squid,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a> may also have structures with the same name, but these have no relationship with those of vertebrates. </p> <h2 id="gallery">Gallery</h2> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/McBurney%27s_point/PJrsW1s3">McBurney's point</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cecum. Look up <i>cecum</i> in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. <ul><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100101010101/http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/haonline/figs/l37/370308.htm">Anatomy figure: 37:03-08</a> at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center—"Abdominal organs in situ."</li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100101010101/http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/haonline/figs/l37/370609.htm">Anatomy figure: 37:06-09</a> at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center—"The larger intestine."</li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100101010101/http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/haonline/figs/l39/390509.htm">Anatomy figure: 39:05-09</a> at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center—"The cecum with the distal portion of the ileum."</li> <li><a href="http://ect.downstate.edu/courseware/haonline/labs/l39/140101.htm">Anatomy photo:39:14-0101</a> at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center—"Incisions of the Cecum"</li> <li><a href="https://www.meduniwien.ac.at/plastination/pelvis/pelvis-e12-2-text.html">Cross section image: pelvis/pelvis-e12-2</a>—Plastination Laboratory at the Medical University of Vienna</li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060715020910/http://learning.mgccc.cc.ms.us/science/cat/sld021.htm">Photo at mgccc.cc.ms.us</a></li> <li><a href="http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/354/13/e12/DC1">Video clip of worms in the Cecum</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100129103841/http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/354/13/e12/DC1">Archived</a> 2010-01-29 at the <a href="/facts/Wayback_Machine/nmQ3a6JC">Wayback Machine</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Stedman, Thomas (2000). Stedman's medical dictionary. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 915. ISBN 978-0-683-40007-6. OCLC 42772946. large i[ntestine], the portion of the digestive tube extending from the ileocecal valve to the anus; it comprises the cecum, colon, rectum, and anal canal <a href="978-0-683-40007-6" target="_blank">978-0-683-40007-6</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"The Large Intestine". VideoHelp.com. <a href="http://download.videohelp.com/vitualis/med/large_intestine.htm" target="_blank">http://download.videohelp.com/vitualis/med/large_intestine.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"What Are the Functions of the Cecum?". <a href="https://sciencing.com/functions-cecum-6809336.html" target="_blank">https://sciencing.com/functions-cecum-6809336.html</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Kostouros, Antonios; Koliarakis, Ioannis; Natsis, Konstantinos; Spandidos, Demetrios; Tsatsakis, Aristidis; Tsiaoussis, John (21 April 2020). "Large intestine embryogenesis: Molecular pathways and related disorders (Review)". International Journal of Molecular Medicine. 46 (1): 27–57. doi:10.3892/ijmm.2020.4583. PMC 7255481. PMID 32319546. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7255481" target="_blank">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7255481</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Kostouros, Antonios; Koliarakis, Ioannis; Natsis, Konstantinos; Spandidos, Demetrios; Tsatsakis, Aristidis; Tsiaoussis, John (21 April 2020). "Large intestine embryogenesis: Molecular pathways and related disorders (Review)". International Journal of Molecular Medicine. 46 (1): 27–57. doi:10.3892/ijmm.2020.4583. PMC 7255481. PMID 32319546. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7255481" target="_blank">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7255481</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"caecum | Etymology, origin and meaning of caecum by etymonline". www.etymonline.com. Retrieved 2022-05-27. <a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/caecum" target="_blank">https://www.etymonline.com/word/caecum</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Ileum". Kenhub. Retrieved 2022-06-18. <a href="https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/the-ileum" target="_blank">https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/the-ileum</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Taylor, Tim. "Anatomy and Physiology Instructor". InnerBody.com. Howtomedia, Inc. Retrieved 28 November 2014. <a href="http://www.innerbody.com/image/dige08.html" target="_blank">http://www.innerbody.com/image/dige08.html</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Salirrosas Roncal, Oscar A; Tantalean Gutierrez, Christian; Llerena Vasquez, Cesar (2022). "Carcinoid Tumor of the Cecal Appendix". Cureus. 14 (10): e30793. doi:10.7759/cureus.30793. ISSN 2168-8184. PMC 9701446. PMID 36447686. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9701446" target="_blank">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9701446</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Guarner F, Malagelada JR (February 2003). "Gut flora in health and disease". Lancet. 361 (9356): 512–19. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(03)12489-0. PMID 12583961. S2CID 38767655. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Sears CL (October 2005). "A dynamic partnership: celebrating our gut flora". Anaerobe. 11 (5): 247–51. doi:10.1016/j.anaerobe.2005.05.001. PMID 16701579. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>University of Glasgow. 2005. The normal gut flora. Available through web archive. Accessed May 22, 2008 <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20040526195616/http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/humannutrition/students/resources/meden/Infection.pdf" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20040526195616/http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/humannutrition/students/resources/meden/Infection.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Beaugerie L, Petit JC (April 2004). "Microbial-gut interactions in health and disease. Antibiotic-associated diarrhoea". Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 18 (2): 337–52. doi:10.1016/j.bpg.2003.10.002. PMID 15123074. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Vedantam G, Hecht DW (October 2003). "Antibiotics and anaerobes of gut origin". Curr. Opin. Microbiol. 6 (5): 457–61. doi:10.1016/j.mib.2003.09.006. PMID 14572537. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Sherwood, Linda; Willey, Joanne; Woolverton, Christopher (2013). Prescott's Microbiology (9th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill. pp. 713–21. ISBN 9780073402406. OCLC 886600661. <a href="9780073402406" target="_blank">9780073402406</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Romer, Alfred Sherwood; Parsons, Thomas S. (1977). The Vertebrate Body. Philadelphia: Holt-Saunders International. pp. 353–54. ISBN 978-0-03-910284-5. <a href="978-0-03-910284-5" target="_blank">978-0-03-910284-5</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>Clench, Mary H.; Mathias, John R. (1995). "The Avian Cecum: A Review". The Wilson Bulletin. 107 (1): 93–121. JSTOR 4163516. Gale A16787963 INIST 3480481. <a href="/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>Romer, Alfred Sherwood; Parsons, Thomas S. (1977). The Vertebrate Body. Philadelphia: Holt-Saunders International. pp. 353–54. ISBN 978-0-03-910284-5. <a href="978-0-03-910284-5" target="_blank">978-0-03-910284-5</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>Clemens, Edgar T.; Stevens, Charles E. (1 June 1979). "Sites of Organic Acid Production and Patterns of Digesta Movement in the Gastro-Intestinal Tract of the Raccoon". The Journal of Nutrition. 109 (6): 1110–1116. doi:10.1093/jn/109.6.1110. ISSN 0022-3166. PMID 448450. Retrieved 1 June 2024. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022316623277147" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022316623277147</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>Jones, James D.; Zollman, Paul E. (17 March 1997). "Black Bear (Ursus americanus) Bile Composition: Seasonal Changes". Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Pharmacology, Toxicology and Endocrinology. 118 (3): 387–390. doi:10.1016/S0742-8413(97)00176-X. PMID 9467890. Retrieved 1 June 2024. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S074284139700176X" target="_blank">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S074284139700176X</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>Wei, F.; Feng, Z.; Wang, Z.; Zhou, A.; Hu, J. (1 January 1999). "Nutrient and energy requirements of red panda (Ailurus fulgens) during lactation". Mamm. 63 (1): 3–10. doi:10.1515/mamm.1999.63.1.3. ISSN 1864-1547. Retrieved 1 June 2024. <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/mamm.1999.63.1.3/html" target="_blank">https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/mamm.1999.63.1.3/html</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:22"><p>Romer, Alfred Sherwood; Parsons, Thomas S. (1977). The Vertebrate Body. Philadelphia: Holt-Saunders International. pp. 353–54. ISBN 978-0-03-910284-5. <a href="978-0-03-910284-5" target="_blank">978-0-03-910284-5</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:23"><p>Williams, Leonard Worcester (1910). The anatomy of the common squid : Loligo pealii, Lesueur. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.27291. OCLC 697639284. <a href="https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/69772" target="_blank">https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/69772</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>