We have a new organ!
The new organ, known as the mesentery, is found in our digestive systems. Researchers found that the long continuous organ is a double fold of peritoneum – the lining of the abdominal cavity- that attaches our intestine to the wall of the abdomen, and keeps everything locked in place. Image Credit
For the past century, doctors assumed that the mesentery was a fragmented structure made of separate sections. It was discovered in 2012 that the mesentery is a continuous structure and over the past four years researchers have been gathering further evidence to confirm that it is its own distinct organ.
This is important because now scientists can categorize abdominal disease in terms of the organ. The next step is to identify the function. Once that has been studied, doctors can identify abnormal functions and diseases.
Thanks to the new research, as of last year, medical student have been taught that the mesentery is a distinct organ.
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