File:Tractus_intestinalis_intestinum_tenue.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ11090· pop 123· linked from 1,229 articles

small intestine

Also known as small bowel, Intestine, Small

part of the digestive tract, following the stomach and followed by the large intestine fake

AI overview

The small intestine is the part of your digestive system that comes after your stomach and before your large intestine. It plays a key role in breaking down food and absorbing nutrients that your body needs to function.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

213,371 papers

Sarcomatoid carcinoma of small intestine.BMJ case reports · 2025
Molecular diagnostics in the neoplasms of small intestine and appendix.Clinics in laboratory medicine · 2013
Small intestine leiomyoma.Klinicheskaia meditsina · 1958
Amyloidosis of the small intestine.The American journal of roentgenology, radium therapy, and nuclear medicine · 1954
[SMALL INTESTINE OBSTRUCTION].Concours medical · 1964

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Part of: intestine
Has part: ileum
Image: Tractus intestinalis intestinum tenue.svg
Connects with: cecum

Show 10 more facts

topic's main category: Category:Small intestine
described by source: Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
Commons category: Small intestines
arterial supply: superior mesenteric artery
venous drainage: hepatic portal vein
Commons gallery: Small intestine
anatomical location: abdominal cavity
NCI Thesaurus ID: C12386
on focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
innervated by: vagus nerve

Sources (10)

via Wikidata · CC0

~19 min read

Encyclopedic overview

The small intestine or small bowel is an organ in the gastrointestinal tract where most of the absorption of nutrients from food takes place. It lies between the stomach and large intestine, and receives bile and pancreatic juice through the pancreatic duct to aid in digestion. The small intestine is about 6.5 metres (21 feet) long and folds many times to fit in the abdomen. Although it is longer than the large intestine, it is called the small intestine because it is narrower in diameter.

The small intestine has three distinct regions – the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. The duodenum, the shortest, is where preparation for absorption through small finger-like protrusions called intestinal villi begins. The jejunum is specialized for the absorption through its lining by enterocytes of small nutrient particles which have been previously digested by enzymes in the duodenum. The main function of the ileum is to absorb vitamin B12, bile salts, and whatever products of digestion were not absorbed by the jejunum.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “small intestine” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.