Small Intestine Disorders

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Basics

Summary
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Diagnosis and Tests
Treatments and Therapies

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Related Issues
Specifics

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Summary

Your small intestine is the longest part of your digestive system - about twenty feet long! It connects your stomach to your large intestine (or colon) and folds many times to fit inside your abdomen. Your small intestine does most of the digesting of the foods you eat. It has three areas called the duodenum, the ileum, and the jejunum.

Problems with the small intestine can include:

Treatment of disorders of the small intestine depends on the cause.

Start Here

Your Digestive System and How It Works (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Bacteria Culture Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
O&P (Ova and Parasite) Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
Small Bowel Bleeding (American College of Gastroenterology) Also in Spanish
Small Bowel Follow-Through (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
Stool Culture (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
Understanding Capsule Endoscopy (American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) Also in Spanish
Upper Gastrointestinal (GI) Series (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

Intestine Transplant (United Network for Organ Sharing)
Meckel's diverticulectomy - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Small bowel resection - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

Ostomy Surgery of the Bowel (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Specifics

Blind Loop Syndrome (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Disorders of the Small Intestine (International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders)
Intestinal Malrotation (Nemours Foundation)
Meckel's Diverticulum (American Academy of Family Physicians)
Short Bowel Syndrome (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
Superior Mesenteric Artery (SMA) Syndrome (Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Duodenal Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Ileal Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
ClinicalTrials.gov: Intestinal Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

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Children

Intestinal Failure (Short Bowel Syndrome) (North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) - PDF Also in Spanish
Necrotizing Enterocolitis (Nemours Foundation)
Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
Rare Infections: Yersinia Enterocolitica and Yersinia Pseudotuberculosis (American Academy of Pediatrics)

Patient Handouts

Duodenal atresia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
EGD - esophagogastroduodenoscopy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
EGD discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Enteritis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Enteroscopy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Meckel's diverticulectomy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Small bowel bacterial overgrowth (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Small bowel resection (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Upper GI and small bowel series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish