Appendix (anatomy)

Appendix
Appendix with surrounding structures
Variations of the appendix
Details
PrecursorMidgut
SystemDigestive system
ArteryAppendicular artery
VeinAppendicular vein
Identifiers
MeSHD001065
TA98A05.7.02.007
TA22976
FMA14542
Anatomical terminology

The appendix (pl.: appendices or appendixes; also vermiform appendix; cecal (or caecal, cæcal) appendix; vermix; or vermiform process) is a finger-like, blind-ended tube connected to the cecum, from which it develops in the embryo.

The cecum is a pouch-like structure of the large intestine, located at the junction of the small and the large intestines. The term "vermiform" comes from Latin and means "worm-shaped". The appendix was once considered a vestigial organ, but this view has changed since the early 2000s.[1][2] Research suggests that the appendix may serve an important purpose as a reservoir for beneficial gut bacteria.

  1. ^ Kooij IA, Sahami S, Meijer SL, Buskens CJ, Te Velde AA (October 2016). "The immunology of the vermiform appendix: a review of the literature". Clinical and Experimental Immunology. 186 (1): 1–9. doi:10.1111/cei.12821. PMC 5011360. PMID 27271818.
  2. ^ Smith, H. F.; Fisher, R. E.; Everett, M. L.; Thomas, A. D.; Randal Bollinger, R.; Parker, W. (2009). "Comparative anatomy and phylogenetic distribution of the mammalian cecal appendix". Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 22 (10): 1984–1999. doi:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2009.01809.x. PMID 19678866.