Guest guest Posted July 5, 2001 Report Share Posted July 5, 2001 "Actually there is no way to tell where the jejunum ends and the ileum begins, same with the duodenum. One would have to study the cell types in order to know that. We do know averages of lengths of the sections of small intestines but by simply looking at it you can't tell." Difficult to tell but in the surgeon's arena everything is magnified. The jejunum has a rougher appearance and thicker walled and is wider than the ileum. The jejunum is about 8 feet long and the ileum is 12 feet long. The differences between the jejunum and ileum are graded differences i.e. they do not occur at a sharp point, jejunum is more transparent and ileum is more opaque. It is very difficult to clearly distinguish where the jejunum and ileum end and begin, as it is a gradual change. The jejunum is wider-bored, thicker walled and redder than the ileum. All this to say that the surgeon's can make a good estimate on the point of difference. HealthNet defines the jejunum as: je·ju·num n, pl je*ju*na : the section of the small intestine that comprises the first two fifths beyond the duodenum and that is larger, thicker-walled, and more vascular and has more circular folds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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