Colon (anatomy)

The colon is a part of the large intestine. It is between the cecum and the rectum. The colon takes water from the feces that goes through it. The colon in mammals can be divided into four sections:

• the ascending colon
• the transverse colon
• the descending colon
• the sigmoid colon

Colon

Ascending colon

This part of the colon goes from the cecum (where the small intestine ends) up the right hand side of the abdomen.

Transverse colon

This part of the colon goes across the from the ascending colon. It goes underneath the stomach and the pancreas and joins the descending colon near the spleen.

Descending colon

This part of the intestine is about 30 cm in length. It travels down the left side of the abdomen. It is possible to have medical problems with the descending colon including ulcers, cancer and Crohn's disease.

Sigmoid colon

This is the small "S" shaped part of the colon, about 40 cm in length, which goes from the bottom of the descending colon into the centre of the pelvis to the rectum. It gets its name from the Greek letter "s", sigma.

Other websites

• Overview and diagrams at seer.cancer.gov Archived 2009-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
• Video: What is Colorectal Cancer? Archived 2012-01-18 at the Wayback Machine