Library · Anatomy
Rectum
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The rectum is the last stretch of the large intestine. It begins where the sigmoid colon ends, the S-shaped portion that comes just before it, and empties into the anal canal, the exit.
It is not just a passageway. Its main job is to serve as a temporary reservoir for stool, and it plays an essential part in two things: controlling defecation, meaning the timing of a bowel movement, and maintaining continence, the ability to hold on until that moment. It is the waiting room before the exit, not just another stretch of pipe.
It measures twelve to fifteen centimeters. Its final part is called the ampulla, a segment wider than the rest, which rests on the pelvic diaphragm, the muscular floor of the pelvis.
In brief
The rectum is the most distal portion of the large intestine: it begins where the sigmoid colon ends and empties into the anal canal.
It works mainly as a temporary reservoir for stool and plays an essential part in controlling defecation and maintaining continence.
It is the waiting room before the exit, not just another stretch of pipe.
It measures 12 to 15 centimeters, and its final part, the ampulla, is a widened segment that rests on the pelvic diaphragm.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingAnatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis, Rectum, StatPearlsPublished
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