The anatomy of the intestines and other digestive organs of healthy individuals can vary greatly from person to person. North Carolina State University reports.
“Over a century ago, a study was conducted that found variability in the relative length of the human gut, but since then this area of research has been largely ignored. “When we started looking into this topic, we were amazed at the amount of variability we found,” said Amanda Hale, author of the new paper.
Scientists measured the digestive organs of 45 people who bequeathed their bodies to science. “For example, the cecum is an organ located at the junction of the large and small intestines. The cecum may be only a few centimeters long in one person, while in another it may be the size of a wallet. And we found similar variability for many digestive organs,” the scientists say.
In particular, it turned out that women, on average, have a longer small intestine than men.
According to the authors, this study could have two practical applications. First, it will help to better educate medical students and show them possible variations of body organs. On the other hand, the analysis of individual features of anatomy can form the basis of personalized medicine.
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