Viscera (heart, lungs, liver, gastrointestinal tract)
Ascending colon
Colon ascendens
- Origin
- Begins at the cecum in the right iliac fossa
- Insertion
- Ascends retroperitoneally along the posterior abdominal wall to the right colic (hepatic) flexure
- Function
- Reabsorption of water, sodium, and chloride from liquid ileal effluent, condensing fecal matter
- Innervation
- Superior mesenteric plexus (sympathetic T10-T12, parasympathetic vagus)
- Movement & chain
- Haustral churning and mass movements
- Palpation
- Palpable deeply in the right lumbar/iliac region
- Clinical
- Right-sided colon adenocarcinoma (often polypoid and ulcerating, presenting with iron-deficiency anemia and occult bleeding rather than early obstruction).
- Segmental innervation
- T10-T12 spinal levels
- In clinical practice
- Bowel preparation for colonoscopy, investigating unexplained microcytic anemia in elderly patients, hemoccult fecal testing
- Region in the model
- Viscera (heart, lungs, liver, gastrointestinal tract)