Rectum (Rectum)
Educational content only — not medical advice.
Anatomy
The last ~12–15 cm of large bowel from the sigmoid to the anus through the pelvic diaphragm, marked by Houston valves that hold stool; supplied by superior (IMA), middle and inferior rectal arteries and a key porto-systemic anastomosis site.
Clinical notes
Haemorrhoids (the porto-systemic plexus) first bleed bright red with defecation; rectal cancer is staged by pelvic MRI before treatment, and injury from foreign bodies is a surgical pelvic emergency.
Related structures
Educational references
FAQ
What is the role of the Rectum?
The last ~12–15 cm of large bowel from the sigmoid to the anus through the pelvic diaphragm, marked by Houston valves that hold stool; supplied by superior (IMA), middle and inferior rectal arteries and a key porto-systemic anastomosis site.
Why is the Rectum clinically important?
Haemorrhoids (the porto-systemic plexus) first bleed bright red with defecation; rectal cancer is staged by pelvic MRI before treatment, and injury from foreign bodies is a surgical pelvic emergency.
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