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The spleen is the largest lymphoid organ in the human body. Lymphoid
tissue also extends throughout the mucosa of the digestive tract,
particularly in the terminal small intestine were it forms aggregates
names 'Peyers Patches'. The spleen has specialised capillaries termed
sinusoids (from the Latin 'space-like) with a larger calibre and more
sluggish flow. They have a modified endothelium and phagocytes (from the
Greek 'eat +cell') that particularly scavenge old blood cells. The top
image shows the diaphragmatic surface of the spleen seen from the left.
The bottom image shows the visceral surface seen from the right. |
