Larry
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This is a question that has several different answers. Not because experts on anatomy are unsure of where the appendix is located, because they are. But there are quite a few different descriptions of the location of the appendix, some very medical and scientific and others straight and to the point, others a little amusing, but actually pretty factual. Plus, the appendix can be in different places for different people.
This answer to the question is one you might read in a medical book. The appendix is located at the Ileocecul junction, where the ileum from the small intestines and the cecum from the colon meet. Unless you are a doctor, this probably doesn’t tell you much. This translation might be more helpful. The appendix is found in the lower right quadrant of the abdomen. It is connected to the cecum, part of the large intestine.
People who have had an appendectomy might tell you that their appendix was located directly under their scar. That may be logical, but still doesn’t pinpoint the appendix. Pressed for more information, he or she may go on to say that it is between the top of the right hipbone and the belly button. That’s a little better. This is not very scientific but possibly easier to understand than some other descriptions with a lot of big words. But, in one out of 500 people, the appendix is closer to the ribs than to the hipbone.
There is a condition that some people are born with called situs inversus. This means that their visceral organs, which includes things like the stomach, intestines, spleen, liver, and kidneys, are reversed or a mirror image of the way they are supposed to be. People with this condition will have the appendix in the lower left quadrant. There have even been cases where the appendix is located more towards the middle of the abdomen. These rare cases of appendix placement can be dangerous, in that a proper diagnosis of the problem can be delayed.
Posted 5472 day ago
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