Ascending colon
Colon ascendens
DigestiveOrgansAbdomen
- What it is
- Rises from the cecum up the right flank to the hepatic (right colic) flexure under the liver; it is retroperitoneal, fixed to the back wall.
- Function
- Absorbs water and salts from the liquid contents arriving from the ileum and moves them upward by periodic mass movements.
- Size
- About 15 cm long and 5-6 cm wide.
- Clinical note
- Its surface shows the colon's hallmarks: three longitudinal muscle bands (taeniae coli), pouches between them (haustra) and small fatty tags (epiploic appendages).