Anatomy and Physiology of the Small Bowel

Neil Volk; Brian Lacy

doi:10.1016/j.giec.2016.08.001

Anatomy and Physiology of the Small Bowel

Gastrointest Endosc Clin N Am. 2017 Jan;27(1):1-13. doi: 10.1016/j.giec.2016.08.001.

Authors

Neil Volk¹, Brian Lacy²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH, USA. Electronic address: Neil.Volk@hitchcock.org.
² Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH, USA.

PMID: 27908510
DOI: 10.1016/j.giec.2016.08.001

Abstract

Comprehension of small intestine physiology and function provides a framework for the understanding of several important disease pathways of the gastrointestinal system. This article reviews the development, anatomy and histology of the small bowel in addition to physiology and digestion of key nutrients.

Keywords: Anatomy; Digestion; Embryology; Enteric nervous system; Physiology; Small intestine; Villi.

MeSH terms

Humans
Intestine, Small / anatomy & histology*
Intestine, Small / physiology*