Cecum
Caecum
DigestiveOrgansAbdomen
- What it is
- Blind pouch that begins the large intestine in the right iliac fossa, below the point where the ileum enters through the ileocecal valve; the appendix hangs from it.
- Function
- Receives liquid contents from the ileum and begins absorbing water and salts; the ileocecal valve limits backflow of colonic bacteria.
- Size
- About 6 cm long and 7.5 cm wide.
- Clinical note
- As the widest part of the colon it is the part most likely to split when the large bowel is obstructed (law of Laplace).