Anatomy & Physiology: Abdomen and Gastrointestinal System

Descripción

The abdomen houses the organs responsible for digestion, nutrient absorption, and metabolic processing, and this course builds a working map of that region from the outside in. The course opens with surface anatomy and the layers of the anterolateral abdominal wall, then works through the peritoneum and the reflections that organize the abdominal cavity into compartments. From there, the course moves organ by organ through the gastrointestinal viscera: the esophagus and stomach, the small and large intestine, the liver and gallbladder, and the pancreas and spleen. The course then turns to the vascular supply of the abdomen and the anatomy of the posterior abdominal wall, before closing with gastrointestinal physiology, including motility, secretion, digestion, and absorption. Throughout, the emphasis is on how structure explains function: why an organ sits where it does, how its blood supply and peritoneal attachments constrain its mobility, and how its physiology depends on the anatomy established earlier in the course. This structural and vascular foundation is drawn on directly in the pelvic and reproductive anatomy covered later in this program.