| Appendix | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Tractus_intestinalis_appendix_vermiformis.svg) Appendix with surrounding structures | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Appendix_locations.svg) Variations of the appendix | |
| Details | |
| Precursor | Midgut |
| System | Digestive system |
| Artery | Appendicular artery |
| Vein | Appendicular vein |
| Identifiers | |
| MeSH | D001065 |
| TA98 | A05.7.02.007 |
| TA2 | 2976 |
| FMA | 14542 |
| 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.