The colon or large intestine is a 1.40 m long tube measuring about 6.5 cm in diameter. The colon begins in the lower right part of the abdomen at the end of the small intestine with a dead-end pouch called the cecum to which is connected the intestinum tenue. The colon then ascends to the liver (ascending colon) the crosses the abdomen towards the spleen (transverse colon) before descending to the rectum (descending or sigmoid colon). Shown here, an x-ray with the injection of opaque barium sulphate and a normal barium enema. This exam makes it possible to diagnose possible polyps, diverticula or tumors.