Functions: Receiving food, tasting and preparing food for digestion, aiding in speech
Cranial nerves related to the mouth and throat
V (trigeminal)
VII (facial)
IX (glossopharyngeal)
XII (hypoglossal)
Mouth (oral cavity)
First part of the digestive system that is formed by the lips, cheeks, hard and soft palates, uvula, and the tongue and its muscles. It serves as an airway for the respiratory tract
Softpalate
Separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity, prevents food from passing into the nasal cavity during chewing and swallowing
Lips
Form the entrance to the mouth, serve as a protective gateway to the digestive and respiratory tract
Cheeks
Form the lateral walls of the mouth, located within buccinator muscles which flatten cheeks against teeth.
Tongue
Form the floor of the mouth, mass of muscle attached to the hyoid bone and styloidprocess.
Uvula
Extension of the soft palate, hangs in the posterior midline of the oropharynx
Mandible (jawbone)
Provides the structural support for the floor of the mouth
Gums (gingiva)
Covered by mucous membrane, normally holds 32 teeth in adults and 20 for babies
Teeth
Adults have 32 teeth, babies have 20, consist of crown, root, and neck
Salivaryglands
Produce saliva, a watery, serous fluid containing salts, mucus, and salivary amylase which helps break down food and lubricates it, include parotid, submandibular, and sublingualglands
Throat (pharynx)
Located behind the mouth and nose, serves as passageway for food and air, includes nasopharynx, oropharynx, and laryngopharynx
Tonsils
Lymph nodes in the back of the mouth and top of the throat that help protect against infection.
Four quadrants of the Abdomen
Rightupperquadrant (RUQ)
Rightlowerquadrant (RLQ)
Leftupperquadrant (LUQ)
Leftlowerquadrant (LLQ)
Three parts of the abdominal regions
Epigastric
Umbilical
Hypogastric/suprapubic
Abdominalwallmuscles
Outermost layer: external abdominal oblique
Middle layer: internal abdominal oblique
Innermost layer: transverse abdominis
Protect the internal organs in the abdominal wall and allow normal compression during functional activities
Peritoneum
Parietalperitoneum: thin, shiny serous membrane that lines the abdominal cavity
Visceralperitoneum: provides a protective covering for most of the internal abdominal organs
Hollowviscera: Stomach, gallbladder, small intestine, colon, bladder
Solid viscera
Organs that do not change shape depending on their contents
Liver
Largest solid organ in the body
Located below the diaphragm in the RUQ of the abdomen
Composed of four lobes that fill most of the RUQ and extend to the left midclavicular line (LMCL)
Pancreas
Located mostly behind the stomach, deep in the upper abdomen
Not palpable
Long gland extending across the abdomen from the RUQ to the LUQ
Functions as an endocrine gland and accessory organ of digestion
Spleen
Approximately 7cm wide
Located above the kidney just below the diaphragm at the level of the 9th, 10th, and 11th ribs
Posterior to the left midaxillary line (LMAL) and posterior and lateral to the stomach
Normally not palpable
Functions to filter the blood of cellular debris, digest microorganisms, and return the breakdown of products to the liver
Kidneys
Located high and deep under the diaphragm
Considered posterior organs and approximate with the level of T12 to L3 vertebrae
Kidney tenderness is best assessed at the costovertebral angle
Functions include filtration and elimination of metabolic waste products, play a role in blood pressure control and maintenance of water, salt, and electrolyte balances, and function as an endocrine gland by secreting hormones
Ovaries
Located in the RLQ and LLQ
Normally palpated through bimanual examination of the internal genitalia
Hollow viscera
Organs that change shape depending on their contents
Hollow viscera
Stomach
Gallbladder
Small intestine
Colon (large intestine)
Urinary bladder
Stomach
Where the abdominal cavity begins
Distensible, flask-like organ located in the LUQ below the diaphragm and between the liver and spleen
Not palpable
Functions to store, churn, and digest food
Gallbladder
Approximately 10cm long
Located near the posterior surface of the liver lateral to the MCL
Usually not palpated
Function is to concentrate and store the bile needed to digest fat
Smallintestine
Longest portion of the digestive tract
Approximately 7m long
Approximately 2.5cm in diameter
Normally not palpated
Functions include digestion and absorption of nutrients
Colon (large intestine)
Approximately 1.4m long
Approximately 6cm in diameter
Originates in the RLQ, where it attaches to the small intestine at the ileocecal valve
Composed of three sections: ascending colon, transverse colon, and descending colon
Functions include secreting large amounts of alkaline mucus to lubricate the intestine and neutralize acids formed by the intestinal bacteria, and where water is absorbed, leaving waste products to be eliminated in stool
Urinarybladder
Distensible muscular sac located behind the pubic bone in the midline of the abdomen
Function is to serve as a temporary receptacle for urine
Analcanal
Final segment of the digestive system
Begins at the anal sphincter and ends ay anorectal junction
Lined with skin with no hair or sebaceous glands, but has many somatic sensory nerves, making it susceptible to painful stimuli
Anal opening / anal verge
Has hairless, moist appearance
Extends interiorly, overlying the anal sphincter
Anorectaljunction
Above the internal sphincter
Dividing point of the anal canal and rectum
Not palpable but may be visualized during internal examination
Rectum
Lowest portion of the large intestine
Black stool indicates upper gastrointestinal bleeding
Redblood in stool can be found with hemorrhoids, polyps, cancer, or colitis
Clay-colored (gray/tan) stools result from a lack of bile pigment