TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Large Intestine A1 - Cohan, Jessica N. A1 - Varma, Madhulika G. A2 - Doherty, Gerard M. PY - 2020 T2 - Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Surgery, 15e AB - The colon begins at the ileocecal valve and ends at the rectum, spanning 140 cm (5 feet) in length. The colon has both intraperitoneal and retroperitoneal components. The cecum and ascending and descending colon are retroperitoneal, whereas the transverse colon and sigmoid are intraperitoneal (Figure 32–1). The diameter of the lumen is greatest at the cecum (approximately 7 cm) and decreases distally. As a result, mass lesions of the cecum are least likely to cause obstruction. However, the wall of the colon is thinnest in the cecum; therefore, it is most vulnerable to ischemic necrosis and perforation from large bowel obstructions. SN - PB - McGraw Hill LLC CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accesssurgery.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1171280882 ER -