Colon (redirected from floating colon)

colon /co·lon/ (ko´lon) [L.] the part of the large intestine extending from the cecum to the rectum.

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ascending colon  the portion of the colon passing cephalad from the cecum to the right colic flexure.

congenital pouch colon  a congenital malformation in which part or all of it is replaced by a dilated pouch and there is anorectal malformation with a fistula between the colon and the genitourinary tract.

descending colon  the portion of the colon passing caudad from the left colic flexure to the sigmoid colon.

iliac colon  the part of the descending colon lying in the left iliac fossa and continuous with the sigmoid colon.

irritable colon  irritable bowel syndrome.

left colon  the distal portion of the large intestine, developed embryonically from the hindgut and functioning in the storage and elimination from the body of nonabsorbed residue of ingested material.

pelvic colon  sigmoid c.

right colon  the proximal portion of the large intestine, developed embryonically from the terminal portion of the midgut and functioning in absorption of ingested material.

sigmoid colon  that portion of the left colon situated in the pelvis and extending from the descending colon to the rectum.

spastic colon  irritable bowel syndrome.

transverse colon  the portion of the large intestine passing transversely across the upper part of the abdomen, between the right and left colic flexures.

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co·lon (kln)

n. pl. co·lons or co·la (-l)

The division of the large intestine extending from the cecum to the rectum.

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co·lonic (k-lnk) adj.

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Colon

The part of the large intestine that extends from the cecum to the rectum. The sigmoid colon is the area of the intestine just above the rectum; linking the descending colon with the rectum. It is shaped like the letter S.

Mentioned in: Hemorrhoids, Laxatives, Rectal Polyps

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colon,

n the body of the large intestine between the cecum and rectum.

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colon

the part of the large intestine extending from the cecum to the rectum. It has the same basic design in all species. There is an ascending colon which begins at the cecum, passes forward to the cranial part of the abdominal cavity then crosses to the left side as the transverse colon. It then turns caudally again to become the descending colon. In the caudal abdomen the colon curves to the midline and joins the rectum. See also colonic.

In herbivores and omnivores there is a variation on this general plan in that the ascending colon is greatly lengthened. In the ruminants and the pig this takes the form of a spiral colon of centrifugal and centripetal loops which occupies the right side of the abdomen. In the horse the ascending colon forms an uncoiled loop reflexed upon itself, beginning at the cecum as the right ventral colon, passing to the left ventral, to the left dorsal at the pelvic flexure, then to the right dorsal, then back into the standard pattern at the transverse colon. In the horse there is the additional oddity of a significant reduction in diameter at the small colon, the terminal part which joins the rectum.

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ascending colon

the first segment of the colon which is either a short, cranially directed segment, as in the dog, or greatly expanded to form the spiral colon in ruminants, or the great colon of horses (right ventral, sternal flexure, left ventral, pelvic flexure, left dorsal, diaphragmatic flexure, right dorsal colons).

coiled colon

see spiral colon (below).

descending colon

the third and last of the three main divisions of the colon which runs caudally and terminates in the rectum. It is not extensive in the horse, in which it has an unusually long mesentery and is known as the small colon.

floating colon

small or descending colon in horses.

irritable colon syndrome

stress and psychological factors can cause the frequent passage of soft to watery feces, often with mucus, in dogs. Called also mucous colitis, spastic colon, psychologically induced colitis, and irritable bowel. See also spasmodic colic.

large colon

the ascending colon of the horse.

left colon displacement colic

forward displacement of the left dorsal colon is an uncommon cause of moderate colic in the horse. Characteristic findings include a palpable medial displacement of the spleen and the absence of the pelvic flexure of the colon from its usual site in front of the pelvis. Surgical removal of the displaced colon from its entrapment across the top of the gastrosplenic ligament is the only effective treatment.

short colon

see descending colon (above).

redundant colon

extra bends in the descending colon. Seen on x-rays, especially in large breed dogs.

small colon

see descending colon (above).

spiral colon

ascending colon of ruminants.