Cecum

The cecum is a blind-ended pouch at the junction of the small and large intestines, where the colon begins. It receives material from the ileum through the ileocecal valve.

Small intestine: The digestive tract segment between the stomach and large intestine, where most nutrient absorption occurs. Its final section empties into the cecum.
Appendix: A narrow, blind-ended tube attached to the cecum, containing abundant lymphoid tissue. It arises from the cecum near the meeting point of the colon's three longitudinal muscle bands.
Appendicitis: Inflammation of the appendix, commonly caused by obstruction of its lumen. The appendix's attachment to the cecum helps explain the condition's location and surgical approach.
Human appendix: The narrow, lymphoid-rich tube attached to the human cecum. Its small size contrasts with the cecum's broader pouch-like form.
Large intestine: The digestive tract segment that absorbs water and electrolytes and forms feces. The cecum is its first pouch-like portion.
Haustra: Sac-like pouches formed by the segmented appearance of the colon wall. Cecal wall contractions contribute to mixing and movement into the colon's haustral pattern.
Cecal volvulus: A twisting of the cecum that can obstruct the bowel and compromise its blood supply. The cecum's mobility in some people permits this uncommon form of large-bowel obstruction.
Cecum in herbivores: An enlarged cecum in many plant-eating animals that hosts microbial fermentation of fibrous food. It contrasts with the relatively small human cecum in its digestive role and scale.
Ileum: The final section of the small intestine, extending from the jejunum to the large intestine. It delivers intestinal contents to the cecum.
Colonic microbiota: The community of microorganisms living in the colon. Microbes in the cecum ferment material that escaped digestion in the small intestine.

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