Where is my appendix located?
Your appendix is a small pouch-like sac located on the lower right side of your abdomen. An inflamed appendix is called appendicitis and will cause mild to severe right-sided abdominal pain. It is important to know the location of your appendix and the warning signs of appendicitis at it can quickly become a medical emergency.
What does the appendix do?
The appendix is a narrow blind-ended tube that is attached to the posteromedial end of the cecum (large intestine). It contains a large amount of lymphoid tissue but is not thought to have any vital functions in the human body.
What is the aetiology of appendicitis?
This corresponds to the location of the base of the appendix when it lies in a retrocecal position. The aetiology of appendicitis depends on age. In the young, it is mostly due to an increase in lymphoid tissue size, which occludes the lumen. From 30 years old onwards, it is more likely to be blocked due a faecolith.
Where are the sympathetic afferent fibres of the appendix located?
Note: Of clinical relevance, the sympathetic afferent fibres of the appendix arise from T10 of the spinal cord – thus explaining why the visceral pain of early appendicitis is felt centrally within the abdomen. Fig 3 – Arterial supply to the cecum and appendix via the ileocecal artery.
What is the function of the appendix?
The Function of the Appendix. No one really knows what the appendix does in the body. However, one thing is certain, we can live without our appendix. Dr. Melissa Conrad Stöppler on MedicineNet explains that some theorize that the appendix has something to do with a child’s immune system.
What is situs inversus of the appendix?
There is a medical condition called situs inversus, in which the person has some or all of his organs on the opposite side. In such condition, the appendix location would be on the left side. This condition does not pose any particular problem, if the person has got all his organs inverted.
What passes through the appendiceal lumen?
The inner portion of the appendix is called the appendiceal lumen. The appendix produces mucus, which passes through the appendiceal lumen. The muscular walls of the appendix expel the mucous secretions and any of the intestinal contents that might find a way into the appendix and the cecum.