What is the Duodenum?
The duodenum is a short portion of the small intestine connecting the rest of the intestine to the stomach. It is about ten inches (25 cm) long, while the entire small intestine measures about 20 feet (6.5 meters). It begins with the duodenal bulb, bordered by the pyloric sphincter that marks the lower end of the stomach, and is connected by the ligament of Treitz to the diaphragm before leading into the next portion of the small intestine, the jejunum. The duodenum has four distinct parts, the first three forming a “C” shape. It begins with the superior duodenum, which extends from the pyloric sphincter laterally to the right and posteriorly for about two inches (5 cm). The next section, the descending duodenum, is the middle of the “C”. The inferior duodenum passes laterally to the left, and the last portion, the ascending duodenum, joins the jejunum at the duodenojejunal flexure. Though the duodenum is such a tiny fraction of the small intestine, it is the site of most of the breakd
