ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY The colon is about 1.5-1.

8 metyers long and consists of four parts: the ascending, transverse, descending and sigmoid colon. The ascending colon extends superiorly from the cecum to the right colic flexure, near the liver where it turns to the left. The transverse colon extends from the right colic flexure to the left colic flexure, near the spleen, where the colon turns inferiorly and the descending colon extends from the left colic flexure to the pelvis where it becomes the sigmoid colon. The sigmoid colon forms an S-shaped tube that extends medially and then inferiorly into the pelvic cavity and ends at the rectum. The mucosal lining of the colon contains numerous straight tubular glands called crypts, which contain many mucus-producing goblet cells. The longitudinal smooth muscle layer of the colon does not completely envelope the intestinal wall but forms three bands called teniae coli. The rectum is a straight, muscular tube that begins at the termination of the sigmoid colon and ends at the anal canal. The muscular tunic is smooth muscle and it is relatively thick in the rectum compared with the rest of the digestive tract. FUNCTIONS Normally 18-24 hours is required for material to pass through the large intestine in contrast to the 3-5 hours required for the moovement of chyme through the small intestine. While in the colon, the chyme is converted to feces. Absorption of water and salts, the secretion of mucus andextensive action of microorganisms are involved in the formation of feces. The colon stores thefeces until they are eliminated by the process of defecation. Numerous organisms inhabit the colon. They produce rapidly and constitute about 30% of the dry weight of the feces. Some bacteria in the intestinesynthesize vitamin k and other vitamins, which is passively absorbed in the colon. Every 8-12 hours