Passing stool should be neither a painful, nor a difficult process. With a healthy bowel movement, the passage of stool will require minimal to moderate effort. Straining to defecate, painful intestinal cramps and pain while defecating are abnormal and can be an indication of various disorders affecting the large bowel, >> Read More ...
Blood flow to the brain (cerebral blood flow) is essential to maintain consciousness and many vital functions. Unlike certain other parts of the body, a few seconds without blood flow will not be detrimental to functioning but in the brain, a lack of blood flow for even just 10 seconds will lead to unconsciousness. The >> Read More ...
The epidermis of the skin has a number of appendages which maintains the integrity of the skin and help it carry out its various functions. The hair follicles, sweat and sebaceous glands are epidermal structures which are pushed into the dermis where it is rooted. Without these appendages, a number of functions of the skin >> Read More ...
The human skin and its appendages like the hair follicles, nails and different glands make up the integumentary system. These structures work in conjunction with each other to perform a variety of functions that is broadly attributed to the skin. However, without the different appendages, the skin would not be as resilient >> Read More ...
Colitis is the medical term for inflammation of the colon and may include the first part of the large intestine known as the cecum. The colon plays an important role in the uptake of water from the intestinal contents, storage, processing and evacuation of waste matter and the absorption of vitamin K created by colonic >> Read More ...
An intra-abdominal abscess can develop from a wide variety of causes that lead to an infection of the peritoneal cavity (peritonitis) due to : Direct spread from abdominal organs Acute appendicitis Acute cholecystitis Pancreatitis Pancreatic cyst infection Perforation of abdominal organs Perforation of peptic ulcer >> Read More ...
What is an intra-abdominal abscess? An intra-abdominal abscess is a localized collection of pus in the abdominal cavity. The abscess is usually confined to a small area by a barrier formed by adhesions between the abdominal organs and the omentum (the fold of peritoneum that supports the organs). An intra-abdominal abscess >> Read More ...
Bowel perforation is the opening of the wall of the small or large intestine thereby allowing the intestinal contents to spill into the peritoneal cavity. This can occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, however, the intestines which compromise the majority of the length of the gut are more likely to be affected, >> Read More ...
What is an enlarged aorta? An aortic aneurysm is the abnormal enlargement of a portion of the aorta. It arises when a segment of the vessel wall is weakened due to any number of factors and this causes a bulging. This can be a balloon-like bulge known as a saccular aneurysm or a widening of an entire segment of the aorta >> Read More ...
What is Angiodysplasia? Angiodysplasia is the term for enlarged blood vessels in the wall of the gut. It is most likely to occur in the cecum of the colon, the first part of the large intestine that leads from the small intestine. Angiodysplasia is an uncommon condition, occurring mainly in the elderly but is one of the >> Read More ...
