Appendix (anatomy)

Appendix
Drawing of colon with variability of appendix as seen from front
Arteries of cecum and appendix (appendix labeled as vermiform process at lower right)
Details
Precursor	Midgut
System	Digestive system
Artery	Appendicular artery
Vein	Appendicular vein
Identifiers
Latin	Appendix vermiformis
MeSH	A03.556.124.526.209.290
TA	A05.7.02.007
FMA	14542
Anatomical terminology []

The appendix (or vermiform appendix; also cecal [or caecal] appendix; vermix; or vermiform process) is a blind-ended tube connected to the cecum, from which it develops in the embryo. The cecum is a pouchlike structure of the colon, located at the junction of the small and the large intestines.

The term "vermiform" comes from Latin and means "worm-shaped".

The human appendix averages 9 cm in length but can range from 2 to 20 cm. The diameter of the appendix is usually between 7 and 8 mm. The longest appendix ever removed was 26 cm long; it was removed from a patient in Zagreb, Croatia. The appendix is usually located in the lower right quadrant of the abdomen, near the right hip bone. The base of the appendix is located 2 cm beneath the ileocecal valve that separates the large intestine from the small intestine. Its position within the abdomen corresponds to a point on the surface known as McBurney's point.

The appendix is connected to the mesentery in the lower region of the ileum, by a short region of the mesocolon known as the mesoappendix.

Some identical twins—known as mirror image twins—can have a mirror-imaged anatomy, a congenital condition with the appendix located in the lower left quadrant of the abdomen.Intestinal malrotation may also cause displacement of the appendix to the left side.