What is the Difference Between Ascending and Descending Colon

The key difference between ascending and descending colon is that ascending colon is a part of the colon that travels up the right side of the abdomen while descending colon is a part of the colon that travels down the left abdomen.

The colon is also known as the large bowel or large intestine. It is a part of the digestive system of the human body. The normal function of the colon is to dehydrate what is left of the food and form it into a stool. It has several parts, including the cecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon, and sigmoid colon.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Ascending Colon
3. What is Descending Colon
4. Similarities – Ascending and Descending Colon
5. Ascending vs Descending Colon in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Ascending vs Descending Colon

What is Ascending Colon?

Ascending colon is a part of the colon that travels up the right side of the abdomen. In the biological anatomy of humans and homologous primates, the ascending colon is a main part of the colon. It is located between the cecum and transverse colon. The ascending colon is smaller in calibre than the cecum from where it starts. Ascending colon passes upward opposite the colic valve to the under the surface of the right lobe of the liver and on the right of the gall bladder, where ascending colon is lodged in a shallow depression called the colic impression. Here, the ascending colon bends abruptly forward and to the left and forms the right colic flexure, where it becomes the transverse colon.

The parasympathetic innervations to the ascending colon are supplied by the vagus nerve, while sympathetic innervations are supplied by thoracic splanchnic nerves. The length of the ascending colon is 6.6 cm. Furthermore, the correct location of the ascending colon is on the right side of the body. Therefore, the term right colon is hypernymous to ascending colon. The function of the ascending colon is to absorb the remaining water and other key nutrients from the indigestible material and solidify it to form a stool.

What is Descending Colon?

Descending colon is a part of the colon that travels down the left abdomen. It is the third main section that connects the transverse colon to the sigmoid colon. It starts after the splenic flexure and ends as it joins the sigmoid colon. It is a retroperitoneal organ. That means it is behind the peritoneum.

The descending colon is approximately 6.3 cm long. It is located in the left lumbar region of the abdomen. This region is to the middle left of the abdomen. The descending colon passes in front of and down the left kidney in this region. Furthermore, the ultimate function of the descending colon is to store solidified stool that will ultimately empty into the rectum for removal from the body.

What are the Similarities Between Ascending and Descending Colon?

• Ascending and descending colon are two main parts of the colon.
• Both are sections of the lower part of the digestive system.
• They are actively involved in the digestion function.
• Both are subjected to different disorders.

What is the Difference Between Ascending and Descending Colon?

Ascending colon is a part of the colon that travels up the right side of the abdomen, while the descending colon is a part of the colon that travels down the left abdomen. Thus, this is the key difference between ascending and descending colon. Furthermore, ascending colon is 6.6 cm long. On the other hand, descending colon is 6.3 cm long.

The below infographic presents the differences between ascending and descending colon in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Ascending vs Descending Colon

Ascending and descending colon are two main parts of the colon or large bowel (large intestine). Ascending colon is a part of the colon that travels up the right side of the abdomen, while the descending colon is a part of the colon that travels down the left abdomen. So, this summarizes the difference between ascending and descending colon.

Reference:

1. “Ascending Colon.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.
2. “Descending Colon: Location and Function.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Blausen 0604 LargeIntestine2” By BruceBlaus. When using this image in external sources it can be cited as:Blausen.com staff (2014). "Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014". WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436. – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Diameters of the large intestine” By Mikael Häggström (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia

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