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The Mesentery: Is It An Organ?

Quick, point to your mesentery.

If you aren鈥檛 quite sure where it is, or what it is, you are not alone. However, this piece of your digestive tract is getting a lot of attention lately, as some doctors think it should be classified as an organ 鈥 right up there with your heart, lungs, and liver (and I am sure you know where those all are).

Let鈥檚 start with the basics. The mesentery is located in your abdomen and is responsible for holding your intestines in place, among other functions. 鈥淚t鈥檚 actually a folded piece of the peritoneum or abdominal lining,鈥 says , a Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the 亚洲自慰视频 of Utah School of Medicine. 鈥淚t connects the intestines to the abdominal wall.鈥

Now what we know what and where the mesentery is let鈥檚 take a look at whether or not it fits the definition of an organ. According to Adler, it鈥檚 all in how you look at it. 鈥淎n organ can be defined as a group or structures of tissues that work together to perform a common function,鈥 he says. 鈥淪ome might say that this makes the mesentery an organ, some might say not.鈥

If you wanted to classify the mesentery as an organ you could say it is a structure performing the task of keeping the intestines in place. It also protects the organs inside the abdomen. However, you could (and many do) instead classify it as connective tissue.

Regardless of how the mesentery is classified it is an important part of the human body and integral to the health of the intestines and gastrointestinal tract. While parts of the mesentery may be removed due to illness or injury, removing the entire mesentery is not possible. And when something goes wrong with the mesentery it can cause problems for the whole system. 鈥淎 variety of problems can develop in the mesentery,鈥 says Adler.  鈥淪ome of these include clotting in blood vessels, twisting or kinking of the mesentery, interruption of blood flow to the mesentery, and swelling of lymph nodes associated with the mesentery. Tumors of the mesentery are rare but do occur.鈥

In the end, Adler says, classification of the mesentery all comes down to semantics, and the argument will likely go on for years. 鈥淭here will always be talk between the 鈥榣umpers鈥 and the 鈥榮plitters鈥 he says. 鈥淏ut the debate doesn鈥檛 affect its role in your body or how it is treated by doctors.鈥