Ileum
DigestiveOrgansAbdomen
- What it is
- Final and longest part of the small intestine, coiled in the lower right abdomen and pelvis, ending at the ileocecal valve in the medial wall of the cecum; its wall contains Peyer's patches.
- Function
- Absorbs vitamin B12 and bile salts, plus any nutrients that escaped the jejunum.
- Size
- About 3.5 m long (three-fifths of the jejunoileum), 2-2.5 cm wide; a representative 1.2 m of coil is modelled.
- Clinical note
- Crohn's disease most often affects the terminal ileum; a Meckel's diverticulum (about 2% of people) lies about 60 cm from its end.