What Is the Colon?
The colon is the part of the large intestine, lying between the cecum and the rectum (Picture 1). It is the muscular tube, which starts in the lower right abdomen as the continuation of the small intestine, runs up as the ascending colon toward the liver, turns left and runs below the rib cage as the transverse (horizontal) colon toward the spleen, and turns down as the descending colon toward the pelvis, where it widens into the sigmoid colon that continues to the rectum. Its main function is to form a semi-solid stool from the undigested watery food remnants, and push it toward the sigma, where it is stored before being expelled out from the body.
Picture 1. Colon - the part of the large intestine lying between the cecum and the rectum
(source: Wikimedia)
