Colon

Colon, the name given to a part of the large intestine. The colon is divided into three portions - the ascending, transverse, and descending, as they are termed. The ascending colon runs upwards from the caecum towards the under surface of the right lobe of the liver; then it bends almost at right angles, and is continued transversely across the abdomen as the transverse colon; in the neighbourhood of the spleen, a second bend at a right angle carries the transverse into the descending colon, which runs downwards towards the left iliac fossa, and terminates in that portion of large intestine which is known as the sigmoid flexure. The junction of the ascending and transverse colon is termed the hepatic flexure, and the junction of the transverse with the descending colon is known as the splenic flexure of the colon. In certain cases of intestinal obstruction it is necessary to open the colon by surgical operation; to such a procedure the term colotomy is applied.