Size, Shape and Location

• The duodenum is a hollow organ in humans and it's the the shortest part of the small intestine. Measuring less than a foot, the duodenum can be divided into four parts: the superior duodenum, the horizontal duodenum, the ascending duodenum and the descending duodenum. It is shaped like a horseshoe and its position is behind the liver. It begins with the duodenal bulb and ends in the ligament of Treitz. The duodenal bulb is where the stomach ends at the pylorus. The ligament of Treitz, which is also called suspensory ligament of the duodenum, connects the small intestine to the diaphragm, the supportive breathing organ of the respiratory system.
  
  

Importance

• The duodenum is a very important part of the digestive system because it is where most digestion occurs. Many people mistake the process of digestion as occurring in the stomach, but the stomach is merely where the food is broken down by hydrochloric acid and absorbed by the body.
  
  

Duodenum Digestion

• The food is broken down into a simpler form called chyme. When any undigested part of chyme enters the duodenum, it is broken down more by enzymes from the intestines and pancreas and also by bile from the liver. Then the chyme moves on though to the ileum and jejunum where most of the nutrients of the food are absorbed through the intestinal walls into the bloodstream.
  
  

Prevention and Lifestyle

• It is important to eat right and to lead a productive lifestyle, free of too much stress. Illness, bad eating habits and stressful to traumatic experiences can lead to ulcers of the duodenum. Most ulcers are peptic ulcers and they mostly occur in the duodenum. They can complicate a pre-existing condition or stand alone as a problem in itself.
  
  

Diseases Affecting

• Sometimes, in people with diseases such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's Disease, the small intestine is so damaged by ulcers that it has to be removed. That is where you see some people who have bags connected to a surgically made opening in their abdomens so they can eliminate properly.
  
  

Modern Technology and Treatment

• Modern technology has made it possible and easier to understand the mechanics and position of the small intestine. It has helped educate some surgeons to know how to reattach what is left of the small intestine to the rectal area so that the patient would not have to wear a cumbersome bag.
  
  Certain drugs are also administered to patients who need help in the digestive process, when the duodenum isn't enough or isn't functioning properly.