The large bowel is the distal part of the gastrointestinal tract, extending from the ileocaecal valve to the anal canal; it can be divided into four parts, the ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid colon.
A wide range of pathologies can affect this part of the alimentary tract. Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers and can present in a variety of ways. Inflammatory bowel disease is of similar ilk, presenting with a wide variety of clinical features.
Acute appendicitis remains a common surgical presentation, with the appendicectomy being the most common surgical procedure performed within general surgery. Therefore learning about this condition is a very important topic for every surgical trainee.
