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Ascending colon: anatomy, location and function

The ascending colon is the part of the large intestine rising from the cecum to the right colic (hepatic) flexure. It absorbs water and electrolytes from fecal material.

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Highlighted in the model: Ascending colon. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Ascending colon at a glance

What it is
The ascending colon is the part of the large intestine rising from the cecum to the right colic (hepatic) flexure.
Location
It lies on the right side of the abdomen and is secondarily retroperitoneal. It is about 12 to 20 cm long and rises to the inferior surface of the liver.
Function
It absorbs water and electrolytes from fecal material.
Body system
Digestive · single, midline structure
FMA ID
FMA14545 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Supplied by branches of the superior mesenteric artery (ileocolic and right colic).
  • Has taeniae coli, haustra and epiploic appendages.

Structures next to the ascending colon

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Ascending colon (FMA14545). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §23.1 Overview of the Digestive System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.