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Section 2: The Divisions of the Small Intestine

Once food has been mixed and partially digested it leaves through the pylorus a muscular sphincter at the distal end of the stomach. It then enters the small intestine where digestion is completed and nutrients are absorbed. The small intestine is approximately five metres long and is divided into three sections, the duodenum, the jejunum and the ileum. First, complete Anatomy Exercise 2 to see the sections of the small intestine:

Anatomy Exercise 2

There are three specific root words duoden/o, jejun/o and ile/o associated with the sections of the small intestine. Remember the combining form enter/o means intestines in general or the small intestine. The duodenum is concerned mainly with the digestion of food and the jejunum and ileum with absorption of nutrients.

Now look at Roots 4-7:

Quick reference:

Before completing the next exercise note the following suffixes all with the same meaning:

-al	pertaining to .. / or referring to ..
-eal	pertaining to .. / or referring to ..
-ic	pertaining to .. / or referring to ..

 

Now complete Word Exercise 7 that uses suffixes learned so far with the combining forms of Roots 4-7:

Word Exercise 7

Before completing the next spelling exercise you should note the difference between the suffixes -ectomy, -stomy and -tomy as these often cause confusion.

Now use the suffixes you have learnt so far to spell words associated with the small intestine in Word Exercise 8:

Word Exercise 8 Spelling

Next associate the combining forms of roots you have just learnt with their anatomical position in the small intestine by completing Anatomy Exercise 3.

Anatomy Exercise 3

CLINICAL POINT
	Volvulus		The twisting of the intestine upon itself so that its internal space is occluded (blocked). Volvulus is a surgical emergency and it must be released as soon as possible.

Finally practise spelling words containing the combining form duoden/o, enter/o, gastr/o, jejun/o and pylor/o from dictated words in Word Exercise 9:

Word Exercise 9 Dictation

The stomach and intestines are arranged within the abdominal cavity. The combining form lapar/o is used to mean the flank, the soft part between the ribs and hips but by common usage it has come to mean the abdominal wall. A laparotomy is an exploratory operation performed when the diagnosis of an abdominal operation is uncertain. With advances in diagnostic procedures it has become less common; one such procedure is laparoscopy. The laparoscope is inserted through a small hole made in the abdominal wall. The surgeon can view the contents of the abdominal cavity once it is inflated with gas. If necessary surgical procedures and biopsies can be performed using the laparoscope.

In order for food to be digested in the small intestine it has to be mixed with secretions from the accessory organs of the digestive system. As partially digested food enters the duodenum it is mixed with bile from the liver and juice from the pancreas. Section 3 examines words associated with the biliary system and the pancreas.

This concludes our study of words associated with the divisions of the small intestine.

Quick reference :

This ends Section 2, now study the medical terms associated with the biliary system and pancreas in Section 3:

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