Digestive System Part 3 - Accessory Digestive Organs

Question 1

what are accessory digestive organs?

Answer 1

organs that are related to digestion but the food does not actually pass directly through them

Question 2

where is the liver located?

Answer 2

inferior to the diaphragm, and a LITTLE anterior to the stomach

Question 3

where is the gallbladder?

Answer 3

tucked behind the liver

Question 4

where is the pancreas?

Answer 4

tucked behind the stomach

Question 5

where is the spleen?

Answer 5

tucked a little bit behind the stomach, on the left side

Question 6

what are the different areas of the pancreas?

Answer 6

• the head
• the body
• the tail

Question 7

where is the head of the pancreas?

Answer 7

more inferior

Question 8

where is the tail of the pancreas?

Answer 8

more superior

Question 9

where does the head of the pancreas fit into?

Answer 9

directly in the C shape of the duodenum

Question 10

why is it important that the pancreas head fits directly into the C shape of the duodenum?

Answer 10

because the pancreas has ducts that are going to carry products directly into the duodenum

Question 11

what does the pancreas function as?

Answer 11

an exocrine and an endocrine organ

Question 12

what does endocrine mean?

Answer 12

products are released directly into the bloodstream

Question 13

what is the endocrine function of the pancreas?

Answer 13

it makes metabolic hormones and dumps it directly in the blood stream

Question 14

when we are talking about digestion, which function of the pancreas are we more focused on?

Answer 14

the exocrine function

Question 15

what is the exocrine function of the pancreas?

Answer 15

it makes a number of digestive enzymes which travel through the pancreatic ducts and empty into the duodenum

Question 16

how many openings are there in the pancreas to the duodenum?

Answer 16

2
- 1 is the main opening and the other is a smaller branch of the duct that opens above as a backup

• empty the digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas into the duodenum

Question 17

what does the interior walls of the duodenum produce?

Answer 17

some of their own digestive enzymes
- includes the productive of bicarbonate

Question 18

what is bicarbonate?

Answer 18

a very basic molecule (high pH)

Question 19

what is the important function of bicarbonate in the duodenum?

Answer 19

neutralizes the hydrochloric acid that came in from the stomach

Question 20

what helps finish off the chemical breakdown of food?

Answer 20

the digestive enzymes from the pancreas and the duodenum

Question 21

is there a duct system associated with the gallbladder and liver?

Answer 21

yes

Question 22

all of the ducts associated with the gallbladder and liver is located where?

Answer 22

posterior to the liver

Question 23

what are the jobs of the liver?

Answer 23

cardiovascular system:
- clean the blood of toxins

digestive system:
- produces bile

Question 24

what is bile for?

Answer 24

important in the breakdown of fats in our food
- uses ducts to travel down to the duodenum through an opening that is shared with the pancreatic duct

Question 25

what is bile?

Answer 25

a special digestive enzyme

Question 26

how many lobes are there in the liver?

Answer 26

four - right lobe - left lobe - caudate lobe (posteriorly superior) - quadrate lobe (posteriorly inferior)

Question 27

what functions very closely with the gallbladder?

Answer 27

the liver

Question 28

what is the job of the gallbladder?

Answer 28

store bile

Question 29

what produces bile?

Answer 29

the liver

Question 30

what is the pathway of bile?

Answer 30

we make bile in the lobes of the liver --> come through the right and left hepatic duct --> join to form the common hepatic duct --> either continues through the common bile duct or goes to the gallbladder common bile duct --> to the duodenum gallbladder: common hepatic duct --> sharp right --> cystic duct --> gallbladder --> storage until needed

Question 31

what does hepatic mean?

Answer 31

liver

Question 32

what determines if bile continues through the common bile duct or goes to the gallbladder?

Answer 32

- continues through the common bile duct if we have eaten something fatty and we need the bile in the duodenum right away for digestion

Question 33

do we always have bile in the gallbladder?

Answer 33

no

Question 34

if we have bile in our gallbladder, what will happen when we eat fatty food?

Answer 34

the bile will be emptied out - we know because of our signals from neurons from the enteric nervous system - it will leave through the cystic duct --> through the common bile duct --> into the duodenum

Question 35

what happens if we need more bile after emptying out the gallbladder?

Answer 35

we can get it from the liver from all the ducts

Question 36

what is surrounding the inner wall of the abdomen?

Answer 36

the parietal peritoneum

Question 37

what is the parietal peritoneum?

Answer 37

a membranous layer that is running around the inner wall of the abdomen and around most of the liver

Question 38

what surrounds most of the internal organs?

Answer 38

the visceral peritoneum

Question 39

where are the parietal and visceral peritoneum going to meet?

Answer 39

in a lot of places along the posterior wall of the abdominal cavity

Question 40

what are the places where the parietal and visceral peritoneum connect called?

Answer 40

the mesentery

Question 41

what does mesentery look like?

Answer 41

this membranous covering of much of the contents of the abdomen

Question 42

what is often on the mesentery?

Answer 42

a lot of fat which is going to give a lot of protection

Question 43

what is there a lot of in the mesentery?

Answer 43

a lot of blood vessels

Question 44

what is the layering of mesentery?

Answer 44

a double layer of peritoneum because visceral and parietal are both single layers

Question 45

why is mesentery able to protect blood vessels?

Answer 45

because it is a double layer that has fat between them and blood vessels

Question 46

the space between the peritoneum layers is called?

Answer 46

peritoneal cavity - allows space for things to expand into

Question 47

are many components of the gastrointestinal tract elastic walled and expansive?

Answer 47

yes so we can have extra room for food and during pregnancy for females

Question 48

is a few areas, we have mesentery that folds back on itself so we end up with how many layers?

Answer 48

four

Question 49

what is the greater omentum?

Answer 49

looks like a big fatty apron that hangs over the contents of the abdomen - mesentery that attaches the stomach, goes down, folds back onto itself, and attached to the transverse colon

Question 50

what does omentum mean?

Answer 50

apron

Question 51

what does the greater omentum connect to?

Answer 51

the transverse colon and the greater curvature of the stomach

Question 52

how many layers is the greater omentum?

Answer 52

four layers of peritoneum because it is two layers of mesentery which is 2 layers each - covered in fat

Question 53

can the greater omentum just flip up?

Answer 53

yes, it just hangs so it is very mobile

Question 54

what does the greater omentum do if you have a pathology (like a tumour) on something else in the abdomen like a kidney?

Answer 54

it will wrap around the infected organ to protect all the other organs from whatever the pathology is

Question 55

why is it hard to find the greater omentum in elderly cadaveurs?

Answer 55

because the greater omentum has shifted to one side or the other to envelop the pathology - elders typically have many issues with their digestive systems