Small bowel

The small bowel is located between a stomach and a caecum and represents the biggest department of the alimentary system on the extent. The main function of a small bowel is chemical treatment of a food lump (chyme) and absorption of products of its digestion.

Structure

The small bowel represents very long (from 2 to 5 m) a hollow tube. It begins from a stomach, and comes to an end in an ileocecal corner, in the place of its connection with a caecum. Anatomically the small bowel is conditionally subdivided into three departments:

1. Duodenum. She is located in a back part of an abdominal cavity and in the form reminds a letter "C".;

2. Jejunum. It is located in a middle part of an abdominal cavity. Its loops lie very freely, are covered with a peritoneum from all directions. This gut received the name because when opening corpses pathologists practically always find it empty;

3. The ileal gut – is in the lower part of an abdominal cavity. It differs from other departments of a small intestine in thicker walls, the best blood supply and big diameter.

Digestion in a small bowel

Food weight passes on a small bowel approximately in four hours. During this time the nutrients which are contained in food continue to be split by enzymes of intestinal juice on smaller components. Digestion in a small bowel consists as well in active nutritive absorption. In her cavity the mucous membrane forms numerous outgrowths and fibers that significantly increases the area of the soaking-up surface. So at adults the area of a small intestine makes not less than 16,5 square meters.

Functions of a small bowel

As well as any other body in a human body the small bowel carries out not one, and several functions. Let's consider them in more detail:

• Secretory function of a small bowel – consists in development by cells of her mucous membrane of the intestinal juice containing such enzymes as an alkaline phosphatase, disaccharidase, a lipase, cathepsines, peptidase. All of them decompose the nutrients which are contained in a chyme to simpler (proteins on amino acids, fats on water and fatty acids, and carbohydrates on monosaccharides). In days at the adult about two liters of intestinal juice cosecrete. It contains a large amount of slime which protects walls of a small intestine from self-digestion;
• Digestive function. Digestion in a small bowel consists in splitting of nutrients and in their further absorption. Thanks to it only unavailable and indigestible products get into a large intestine.
• Endocrine function. In walls of a small intestine there are special cells producing peptide hormones which not only regulate function of intestines but also exert impact and on other internals of a human body. Most of all similar cells it is located in a duodenum;
• Motor function. At the expense of longitudinal and ring muscles there are wavy reductions of walls of a small bowel pushing a chyme forward.

Diseases of a small bowel

All diseases of a small bowel have similar symptoms and ponosam are shown by abdominal pains, a meteorism, rumbling. The chair happens several times a day, plentiful, to the remains of undigested food and a large amount of slime. Blood in it is observed extremely seldom.

Among diseases of a small bowel its inflammation – enteritis which can be acute or chronic is most often observed. Acute enteritis usually is caused by pathogenic microflora and at full treatment within several days comes to an end with an absolute recovery. At it is long the proceeding chronic enteritis with frequent aggravations at patients also the abenteric symptoms of a disease caused by disturbance of the soaking-up function of a small intestine develop. They complain of weight loss and the general weakness, quite often they have an anemia. The vitamin deficiency of group B and folic acid leads to emergence of cracks in corners of a mouth (perleche), stomatitis, a glossitis. Insufficient receipt in an organism of vitamin A is an origin of dryness of a cornea and disturbance of twilight sight. Disturbances of absorption of calcium can become the reason of development of osteoporosis and the pathological changes arising on its background.

Rupture of a small bowel

Among all abdominal organs the small bowel is most of all subject to traumatic damages. It is explained by vulnerability and considerable length of this site of intestines. The isolated rupture of a small bowel is observed in no more than in 20% of cases, and to a thicket it is combined also with other traumatic injuries of abdominal organs.

The most frequent mechanism of traumatic injury of a small intestine is direct and rather strong blow in the stomach leading to pressing of loops of intestines to pelvic bones or a backbone and damage of their walls.

At a rupture of a small bowel more than a half of victims has a depressed case and considerable internal bleeding.

The only method of treatment of a rupture of a small bowel is the surgery which is carried out in the emergency order. During an operative measure make a stop of bleeding (hemostasis), eliminate a source in an abdominal cavity of intestinal contents, recover normal passability of intestines and carefully sanify an abdominal cavity.

The earlier from the moment of an injury of a small bowel operation is carried out, the it is more than chances of recovery of the victim.