Spleen
The spleen, an organ found in all vertebrate animals with important roles in regard to red blood cells and the immune system. The spleen is situated in the left hypochondriac region, but extends to the superior epigastric region. It is located in the left hypochondrium relative to the ninth and eleventh rib bones. It is a brown, flat, oval shaped lymphatic organ that filters and stores blood to protect the body from infections and blood loss.
It is an organ involved in the production and maintenance of red blood cells, as part of the lymph system and as part of the immune system. It can be found easily in the left side of the abdominal cavity under the diaphragm, the muscular partition between the abdomen and the chest.
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Spleen
The spleen is encased in a thick connective-tissue capsule. Inside, the mass of splenic tissue, is of two types. The types of splenic tissue are red pulp and white pulp. These two types of splenic tissue are intermingled throughout the spleen. The white pulp is lymphoid tissue. The red pulp is a network of channels (sinuses) filled with blood. It is within the red pulp that most filtration happens. The white pulp contains lymphoid elements such as plasma cells, lymphocytes, and lymphatic nodules called follicles in the spleen. Germinal centers in the white pulp serve as sites where the lymphocyte production happens. The spleen stores and removes erythrocytes (red blood cells). The spleen monitors antigen and antibody production. The red pulp makes up the majority of the spleen. The spleen lies vertically on the left side of the cranial abdomen. It is attached to the greater curvature of the stomach by the gastrosplenic ligament. The fibrous and elastic tissue encasing the spleen capsule extends into the parenchyma as trabeculae. This means that these tissues (fibrous and elastic) extend into the parts of the spleen that are key elements of the spleen essential to its’ functioning in the form of trabeculae (plural of Latin for a “small beam”). A trabecula is a small, often microscopic, tissue element in the form of a small beam, strut or rod, having generally a mechanical function, and usually composed of dense collagenous tissue (such as the trabeculae of the spleen).
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