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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

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:

• Bleeding
• Celiac disease
• Crohn's disease
• Infections
• Intestinal cancer
• Intestinal obstruction
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Ulcers, such as peptic ulcer

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
• Capsule Endoscopy (American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) Also in Spanish
• Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Ova and Parasite Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Small Bowel Bleeding (American College of Gastroenterology) Also in Spanish
• Small Bowel Follow-Through (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Upper 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 - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Small bowel resection - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

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

Specifics

• Disorders of the Small Intestine (International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders)
• Intestinal Malrotation (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Meckel's Diverticulum (American Academy of Family Physicians)
• Short Bowel Syndrome (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Superior Mesenteric Artery 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)

• Article: Clinical Characteristics and Etiology of Terminal Ileum Ulcers: A Retrospective Study.
• Article: Impact of a 6-12-h delay between ileocolic intussusception diagnostic US and...
• Article: Navigating the depths: an endoscopic triumph in removing a massive duodenal...
• Small Intestine Disorders -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American College of Gastroenterology
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

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

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 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