Question

What is the importance of retroperitoneal organs?

Answer 1

Hint: The retroperitoneal organs include – pancreas, kidneys, adrenal glands, duodenum(except 1st and 4th part), ascending and descending colon, ureters, aorta, inferior vena cava, rectum. The retroperitoneal organs are covered in a single side by the peritoneum layer. The kidney and ureter are a vital part of the excretory system. Duodenum, pancreas, and the colon are part of the digestive system.

Complete answer:
The organs having peritoneum on the anterior side, not suspended by mesentery in the abdominal cavity, and lying in between parietal peritoneum and abdominal wall are termed as the retroperitoneal organ.
The importance of the retroperitoneal organs are –
1. Pancreas – Has dual function one is endocrine (regulates the blood glucose level by secreting the hormones – insulin, glucagon, somatostatin) and the other is the exocrine function (helps in digestion by secretion of enzymes such as pancreatic amylase, pancreatic lipase)
2. Kidney – Primary function of the kidney is the formation of urine and also it purifies the blood.
3. Adrenal gland – Secretes hormones such as mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids, sexcorticoids and thus regulating reabsorption, metabolism, water balance, stimulating gluconeogenesis, and development of secondary sex characters.
4. Duodenum – Mainly receives the bile secreted from the liver.
5. Ascending colon and descending colon – Ascending colon plays a vital role in the reabsorption of water or other important nutrients from undigested food. Descending the colon helps in storing feces before emptying it into the rectum.
6. Ureters – Transports the urine formed by the kidney to the urinary bladder.
7. Aorta – Supplies oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
8. Inferior vena cava – carries deoxygenated blood from the lower half of the body into the heart.
9. Rectum – Stores the feces before it is excreted out of the body by the anus.

Note :
The organs such as the stomach, the first part of the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, appendix, transverse colon, sigmoid colon, liver, spleen, ovaries in case of a woman comes under the class of intraperitoneal organs (cover organs both anteriorly and posteriorly). The intraperitoneal or subperitoneal organs (organs deep beneath the peritoneum) include the urinary bladder, distal part of ureters, uterus, and the fallopian tube.