The human colon is an important part of the digestive system and it plays a critical role in maintaining a healthy body. The human colon is a continuous hollow tube that is approximately five feet long and about 2-3 inches in diameter. The colon is made up of four unique parts.
Human colon part #1:
The ascending colon is the portion of the colon located on the right side of the abdomen near the liver.
Human colon part #2:
The transverse colon is located near the liver and the spleen. It hangs from the stomach by a band of tissue called the greater omentum. The transverse colon is the part that has the greatest risk of developing cancer, because more of the solid waste is moved and stored in this area.
Human colon part #3:
The descending colon connects the sigmoid colon to the splenic flexure. The descending colon is located on the left side of the large intestine, extending from the bend below the spleen to the sigmoid colon. The descending colon stores the food to be emptied into the rectum.
Human colon part #4:
The sigmoid colon is located between the descending colon and the rectum. It has muscular walls that contract in order to increase the pressure in the colon to move the stool to the rectum.
While food is still in the small intestine, all the vital nutrients are removed and used by your body. The waste that is left, moves to the large intestine, which is the first part of the colon. Here, the colon absorbs water and sodium from the waste and what is left is referred to as stool. The stool passes through the colon into the rectum and out through the anus during a bowel movement.
The images below of the human colon were captured with a biological laboratory microscope and a high definition (HD) microscope camera.
Human colon part #1:
The ascending colon is the portion of the colon located on the right side of the abdomen near the liver.
Human colon part #2:
The transverse colon is located near the liver and the spleen. It hangs from the stomach by a band of tissue called the greater omentum. The transverse colon is the part that has the greatest risk of developing cancer, because more of the solid waste is moved and stored in this area.
Human colon part #3:
The descending colon connects the sigmoid colon to the splenic flexure. The descending colon is located on the left side of the large intestine, extending from the bend below the spleen to the sigmoid colon. The descending colon stores the food to be emptied into the rectum.
Human colon part #4:
The sigmoid colon is located between the descending colon and the rectum. It has muscular walls that contract in order to increase the pressure in the colon to move the stool to the rectum.
While food is still in the small intestine, all the vital nutrients are removed and used by your body. The waste that is left, moves to the large intestine, which is the first part of the colon. Here, the colon absorbs water and sodium from the waste and what is left is referred to as stool. The stool passes through the colon into the rectum and out through the anus during a bowel movement.
The images below of the human colon were captured with a biological laboratory microscope and a high definition (HD) microscope camera.
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| Human colon under a biological microscope at 40x. |
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| Human colon under a biological microscope at 100x. |
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| Human colon under a biological microscope at 400x. |
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| Human colon under a biological microscope at 400x using a plan fluor objective lens. |
You can view larger images of the human colon and its placement in the body here.