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The human digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract plus the accessory organs of digestion (the tongue, salivary glands, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder). Digestion involves the breakdown of food into smaller and smaller components, until they can be absorbed and assimilated into the body.
The function of the GI tract is to process ingested food by mechanical and chemical means, extract nutrients and excrete waste products. The GI tract is composed of the alimentary canal, that runs from the mouth to the anus, as well as the associated glands, chemicals, hormones, and enzymes that assist in digestion.
The function of the common bile duct is to allow bile to travel from the gallbladder to the small intestine, mixing with pancreatic digestive enzymes along the way. [4] One possible complication of choledocholithiasis is an infection of the bile ducts between the liver and the gallstone lodged in the common bile duct.
Bile (from Latin bilis), or gall, is a yellow-green/misty green fluid produced by the liver of most vertebrates that aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In humans, bile is primarily composed of water , is produced continuously by the liver, and is stored and concentrated in the gallbladder .
Invasion of tumours through the layers of the gastrointestinal wall is used in staging of tumour spread. This affects treatment and prognosis. The normal thickness of the small intestinal wall is 3–5 mm, [6] and 1–5 mm in the large intestine. [7] Focal, irregular and asymmetrical gastrointestinal wall thickening suggests a malignancy. [7]
The major duodenal papilla (papilla of Vater) is a rounded projection in the duodenum into which the common bile duct and pancreatic duct drain. The major duodenal papilla is, in most people, the primary mechanism for the secretion of bile and other enzymes that facilitate digestion.
The duodenal bulb (also ampulla of duodenum, duodenal ampulla, or duodenal cap) is the initial, dilated portion of (the superior part of) the duodenum [1] just distal to the stomach; it begins at the pylorus and ends at the neck of the gallbladder. It is normally about 5 centimeters long. [2]
Its main function is to absorb the products of digestion (including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and vitamins) into the bloodstream. There are three major divisions: Duodenum : A short structure (about 20–25 cm long [ 18 ] ) that receives chyme from the stomach, together with pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes and bile from the ...