Body system · 109 pieces

Digestive

Mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, intestines, liver, pancreas.

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3D model of the Digestive in the Anatomy Nexus anatomy atlas
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Overview

The digestive tract is a nine-metre tube from mouth to anus. Food is chewed, swallowed down the oesophagus, churned with acid in the stomach, digested and absorbed along the small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, ileum), and its residue concentrated in the colon. The liver, gallbladder and pancreas pour bile and enzymes into the duodenum. The model includes the tongue, salivary glands and gums, the stomach and intestines in many segments, the liver as eight hepatovenous segments with its bile ducts, the gallbladder, the pancreas and the mesenteries that suspend the gut.

Functions

  • Break food down mechanically and chemically
  • Absorb nutrients and water
  • Store and release energy (liver)
  • Eliminate waste

Clinical notes

  • Reflux, gastritis and peptic ulcers
  • Appendicitis, inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer
  • Gallstones, hepatitis and pancreatitis

Organs & groups in this system

Tongue

A muscular organ for taste, chewing, swallowing and speech.

1 structures

Oesophagus

A muscular tube carrying swallowed food from the pharynx to the stomach.

1 structures

Stomach

A muscular bag that churns food with acid and enzymes before releasing it into the duodenum.

1 structures · full anatomy article

Small intestine

Duodenum, jejunum and ileum: about six metres where most digestion and absorption happens.

9 structures

Large intestine

Caecum, appendix, colon and rectum absorb water and form stool.

11 structures · full anatomy article

Liver

The body's chemical factory: it processes nutrients, detoxifies blood and makes bile. Modelled as eight hepatovenous segments with the biliary tree.

22 structures · full anatomy article

Gallbladder & bile ducts

Stores and concentrates bile, releasing it into the duodenum through the cystic and common bile ducts.

14 structures

Pancreas

Makes digestive enzymes and the hormones insulin and glucagon.

4 structures · full anatomy article

All structures 57

109 modelled pieces. Click a structure to open it in the atlas.