Anatomy and Gastrointestinal System

Anatomy

Body Regions

• Anterior (front) and posterior (back)
• Proximal (near the point of attachment) and distal (far from the point of attachment)
• Medial (toward the midline) and lateral (away from the midline)
• Superior (above) and inferior (below)

Body Cavities

• Cranial cavity (skull)
• Thoracic cavity (chest)
• Abdominal cavity
• Pelvic cavity

Gastrointestinal (GI) System

Gastrointestinal (GI) System

Organs

• Mouth (buccal cavity)
  • Functions: mechanical and chemical digestion of food
• Esophagus
  • Functions: passage of food to stomach
• Stomach
  • Functions: mechanical and chemical digestion of food
• Small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, ileum)
  • Functions: absorption of nutrients
• Large intestine (colon, rectum, anus)
  • Functions: absorption of water, electrolytes, and vitamins; elimination of waste

GI Tract Directions

• Oral (mouth) -> abdominal (stomach) -> intestinal (small and large)

Suffixes

• -itis: inflammation (e.g., gastritis - inflammation of the stomach)
• -oma: tumor (e.g., carcinoma - cancerous tumor)
• -algia: pain (e.g., gastralgia - stomach pain)
• -ectomy: surgical removal (e.g., gastrectomy - removal of the stomach)

Anatomy

Body Regions

• Anterior refers to the front of the body
• Posterior refers to the back of the body
• Proximal refers to a location near the point of attachment
• Distal refers to a location far from the point of attachment
• Medial refers to a location toward the midline of the body
• Lateral refers to a location away from the midline of the body
• Superior refers to a location above
• Inferior refers to a location below

Body Cavities

• The cranial cavity is located in the skull
• The thoracic cavity is located in the chest
• The abdominal cavity is located in the abdominal region
• The pelvic cavity is located in the pelvic region

Gastrointestinal (GI) System

Organs of the GI System

• The mouth (buccal cavity) is responsible for mechanical and chemical digestion of food
• The esophagus enables the passage of food to the stomach
• The stomach performs mechanical and chemical digestion of food
• The small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, ileum) is responsible for absorption of nutrients
• The large intestine (colon, rectum, anus) is responsible for absorption of water, electrolytes, and vitamins, as well as elimination of waste

Directions of the GI Tract

• The direction of the GI tract is from the oral (mouth) to the abdominal (stomach) and then to the intestinal (small and large)

Suffixes in GI System Terminology

• The suffix -itis indicates inflammation
• The suffix -oma indicates a tumor
• The suffix -algia indicates pain
• The suffix -ectomy indicates surgical removal