Ileum (Ileum)
Educational content only — not medical advice.
Anatomy
The distal three-fifths of small intestine (~3.5 m): thinner walls, shorter vasa recta with two- to three-tier arcades, sparse folds and aggregated Peyer patches — the site of vitamin B12 and bile-salt absorption, ending at the ileocaecal junction.
Clinical notes
Crohn disease’s classic target is the terminal ileum; its resection mandates lifelong B12 replacement, and childhood intussusception launches at the ileocaecal junction.
Related structures
Educational references
FAQ
What is the role of the Ileum?
The distal three-fifths of small intestine (~3.5 m): thinner walls, shorter vasa recta with two- to three-tier arcades, sparse folds and aggregated Peyer patches — the site of vitamin B12 and bile-salt absorption, ending at the ileocaecal junction.
Why is the Ileum clinically important?
Crohn disease’s classic target is the terminal ileum; its resection mandates lifelong B12 replacement, and childhood intussusception launches at the ileocaecal junction.
Source & license
BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science licensed under CC Attribution 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). license details