Spleen

Spleen

Organ that is part of the lymphatic system.  The spleen produces lymphocytes, filters blood, stores blood cells, and destroys old blood cells.  It is located on the left side of the abdomen, near the stomach.


Anatomy of the lymphatic system.  The lymphatic vessels and some lymphatic organs (lymph nodes, tonsils, thymus, spleen and bone marrow) are observed.  Lymph (clear fluid) and lymphocytes move through the lymphatic vessels to the lymph nodes, where the lymphocytes destroy harmful substances.  Lymph enters the blood through a large vein near the heart.


The spleen is an organ present in almost all vertebrates. It is part of the lymphatic system and is the center of activity of the immune system, it facilitates the destruction of old or expired red blood cells and platelets and during the fetal period it participates in the production of new red blood cells (hematopoiesis).

The human spleen is flattened and oval in shape, it is located in the upper left quadrant of the abdomen, close to the pancreas, the diaphragm and the left kidney. It is a highly vascularized organ and its injury causes significant and possibly lethal internal bleeding. Surgical removal of the spleen (splenectomy) allows survival with several complications and rules to be followed by the patient.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Human Liver

Image
 Human Liver The liver is an organ that is present in both humans and other vertebrate animals. The human liver has an average weight of 1500 g,[1]​ it is located in the upper right part of the abdomen, below the diaphragm, it secretes bile, essential for the digestion of fats, it also has many other functions,[2 ]​ among them the synthesis of plasma proteins, storage of vitamins and glycogen and detoxifying function. Its main cells are hepatocytes and one of its most characteristic features is that it has the ability to regenerate. The liver is responsible for eliminating different substances from the blood that may be harmful to the body, including alcohol, converting them into harmless ones. The absence of a liver or its lack of functioning is incompatible with life. Etymology  The word "liver" does not derive from its Latin homonym jecur, nor from the Greek hepatos. It comes from the Latin expression ficatum jecur which literally means “liver fattened with fi...
Read more

Human Stomach

Image
 Human Stomach  The stomach (from the Latin stomăchus, derived from the Greek στόμαχος [stomachos], from the prefix στόμα [stoma], "mouth") is the portion of the digestive tract located between the esophagus and the intestine. In humans, it is located in the upper left region of the abdomen, below the diaphragm. It is a chamber in which the ingested food is mixed and stored and is emptied in small intervals towards the duodenum thanks to peristaltic movements. Complete gastric emptying requires several hours after a large meal. The stomach is very distensible, so it varies considerably in size depending on whether it is full or empty. It is divided into four main regions, which are called: cardia, which joins it to the esophagus, fundus, body, and pylorus, which connects it to the intestine. It secretes several substances that are collectively called gastric juice, formed mainly by hydrochloric acid and pepsin, a proteolytic enzyme that divides proteins into smaller frag...
Read more

Respiratory System

Image
Respiratory system   Definition   "The respiratory system allows oxygen to enter the body, as well as carbon dioxide to escape." Mechanism   To stay alive, the body needs to produce enough energy. This energy is produced by the combustion of nutrient molecules, which are oxidized when they combine with oxygen. Oxidation involves the combination of carbon and hydrogen with oxygen to form carbon dioxide and water. The consumption of oxygen and the production of carbon dioxide is an essential process for life. Consequently, the human body needs an organic system specialized in the elimination of carbon dioxide from the circulating blood and the absorption of oxygen from the atmosphere, at a speed appropriate to the needs of the organism and even at the moment of maximum effort. The respiratory system allows oxygen to enter the body, as well as carbon dioxide to escape. Anatomy    The respiratory system begins in the nose and mouth and continues through the a...
Read more