Intestinal loop

definition

A loop of intestine is a piece of intestine that is wound in a loop.
The small intestine is up to six meters long and runs from the stomach to the large intestine. It can be divided into the duodenum, the jejunum and the ileum.
While the duodenum lies in a C-shape in the upper abdomen, the jejunum and ileum form numerous intestinal loops due to their length. This means that these sections of the small intestine are twisted as the entire length of the intestine has to be distributed in the abdomen.

Anatomy of the intestinal loops

The intestinal tube is a muscle tube that extends from the stomach to the anus. The entire route is up to seven and a half meters in length. Loops of intestine are found in the jejunum and ileum of the small intestine.

The intestinal walls of the small intestine are built up in three layers. Inside there is a mucous membrane, around it a two-layer muscle layer and outside a connective tissue covering, the tunica adventitia. The intestinal nervous system, which determines the bowel movements, runs between the muscle layers. The small intestine is also regulated by the vagus nerve, parasympathetic and sympathetic nerves.
This means that movements take place along the intestinal loops of the small intestine, which convey the chyme in the direction of the large intestine.
The intestinal loops are prone to certain diseases, such as an intestinal obstruction or inflammation in the context of Crohn's disease.

Function of intestinal loops

The intestinal loops of the small intestine are created randomly and are not subject to any special function. The intestine is very long and has to find space in the abdomen. With the development and growth of the intestine, numerous turns of the intestinal tube, the so-called intestinal loops, happen to form. The formation of the intestinal loops is random and random. The intestine finds no other way than to squirm, so to speak.

The sections of the intestine that are affected by the formation of the intestinal loops, on the other hand, fulfill extremely important functions.
The empty intestine, the so-called jujunum, is used to break down the chyme with the help of enzymes. The food components, simple sugars, amino acids, fatty acids, water, vitamins and electrolytes are absorbed here, i.e. taken up into the blood.
The ileum, known as the ileum, is the longest section of the intestine at three meters. The ileum is also involved in the uptake of nutrients, but is mainly devoted to the substances that are not yet absorbed into the blood in the preceding sections of the intestine. This mainly includes electrolytes, vitamins and trace elements. In addition, bile acids are reabsorbed in the last section of the ileum, the so-called terminal ileum. This process is important for the so-called enterohepatic circulation.

Diseases of the intestinal loops

Pain in the loop of intestine

Pain in the loops of the intestine can have various causes. If the pain comes from organs of the gastrointestinal tract, it is referred to as intestinal pain or visceral pain.

Possible causes include irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and tumors of the gastrointestinal tract.
In the case of irritable bowel syndrome, in addition to visceral pain, patients suffer from bloating, gas, rumors and a change between diarrhea and constipation.
Crohn's disease is typically associated with recurring flare-ups of diarrhea with fever and severe pain. In the long term, those affected suffer from weight loss.
Ulcerative colitis typically causes abdominal and bowel pain, diarrhea, and bleeding from the rectum.

Abdominal pain cannot always be localized and described well. An intestinal obstruction can also cause severe abdominal pain, which is colic-like with a mechanical obstruction. Other symptoms are acute stool retention, nausea, vomiting, a bloated stomach, fever and accelerated heartbeat. An intestinal obstruction can also be of the paralytic type. The intestine is paralyzed so that no intestinal noises can be heard and the pain is persistently diffuse.

In addition, other organs of the abdominal cavity can also cause pain that is indistinguishable from pain in the intestinal loops. A woman's gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, and even fallopian tubes are all possible causes of excruciating abdominal pain.
Severe abdominal pain can therefore have various causes and require clarification and should be presented to a doctor.

Inflammation of the loop of intestine

Inflammation can develop in the entire intestinal tract.
Acute inflammation, for example from food poisoning, often affects the stomach and small intestine. Depending on the spread of the inflammation, numerous loops of the intestine can be inflamed.

In addition, there is chronic intestinal inflammation, which causes recurrent complaints in the area of ​​the intestinal loops. Important diseases are ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
Ulcerative colitis typically affects the large intestine, but loops of the small intestine can also be inflamed, while Crohn's disease mainly leads to inflammation of the loops of the small intestine.
Symptoms of bowel inflammation include indigestion, depending on the cause, such as diarrhea, severe abdominal pain and cramps, nausea and vomiting.

Twisted loop of intestine

An intestinal entanglement typically does not occur in the area of ​​the physiological intestinal loops of the small intestine, but in the last part of the large intestine. But it can also occur in the small intestine. A part of the intestinal tube can twist around its own axis and lead to the intestine being pinched. You can imagine the intestinal tube to be like a garden hose that you twist around yourself.

If a twisted loop of intestine develops, the food can no longer pass through. This can cause a lot of pain. At the same time it is possible that blood vessels in the twisted intestinal section are pinched off and affected intestinal sections are insufficiently supplied with blood and possibly even die. Another complication could be serious inflammation of the peritoneum.
This means that a twisted bowel loop can be life-threatening. The cause of the formation of an intestinal obstruction has not been clarified with certainty. However, it is common in the elderly, and particularly in people with a long colon. The clinical picture usually has to be treated surgically.

Extended loop of intestine

Whether a loop of intestine is enlarged can be determined with imaging examinations, for example with X-rays or computed tomography (CT). One speaks of an enlarged bowel loop if the twisted bowel parts are wider than normal. In the X-ray or the CT there is a clear difference compared to non-enlarged parts of the intestine.Other signs, such as a fluid level and overinflation, provide clues to the diagnosis, for example an intestinal obstruction.
Expanded intestinal loops arise as a result of the narrowing of intestinal tissue. This means that the intestine is expanded locally in front of the narrowing of the intestinal tube, as the intestinal contents build up here.

Loop of intestine pinched

Clamping a loop of intestine is known as incarceration. There are different ways of entrapment of intestinal loops.
Loops of intestine can become trapped when a hernia develops. A hernia is a hernia of the intestine. A common form of hernia is a gap in the abdominal wall that makes the loops of the intestine and peritoneum appear to bulge outward. The entrapment can be firm or slidable so that you can push the bowel back.
Depending on the location, the trapped part of the intestine and the affected vessels, an incarceration of intestinal loops can be dangerous and lead to ischemia. This means that there can be a reduced blood flow to intestinal tissue, which can even cause the intestine to die. Entrapment ischemia is a life-threatening clinical picture and requires immediate surgical treatment. Furthermore, intestinal loops can also become trapped within the abdominal cavity, for example by a tumor that occupies space.

Loop of intestine stuck together

In medicine, the word “glue” describes adhesions at anatomical locations that are normally not connected in this way. These bonds are also called adhesions.
Adhesion can have various causes. They can arise in the affected tissue after surgery or as a result of chronic inflammation. A common cause of stuck intestinal loops is chronic intestinal inflammation such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
The adhesions of the intestinal loops can have a negative effect on the function of the intestine. They can disrupt the bowel movements and slow down the transport of the food through the intestines. Intestinal obstruction can be a dangerous complication.

What is the Loop Diet?

The Loop Diet is a diet designed to help break down stubborn belly fat. The diet was created by Australian Kristy Curtis and takes into account exercise, the total amount of calories and the distribution of proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
The physical training should take place two to three times a week and include resistance training. Resistance training can be done using weights, TRX, and fitness bands. In addition, elevators should be avoided and stairs should be used instead. Every opportunity to move has to be used. You should only eat what you burn to get a calorie deficit so that you lose weight. For this, it is advisable to calculate your individual calorie consumption and count calories accordingly.
The diet should be high in protein in order to maximize muscle building. You should consume 0.8 to 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight with food every day. The protein content should be higher on exercise stretchers or when the muscle mass is high. One should lower the sugar on the menu, that means one should reduce the amount of refined carbohydrates.
Alcohol should also be reduced as it promotes weight gain.

A low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet with regular exercise and a reduction in daily calorie intake is a healthy route to weight loss. In summary, however, the intestinal sling diet has neither new content nor is there any connection with the term "intestinal sling" in the name "intestinal sling diet".