A new organ has just been discovered in the human body

We now have a new organ added to the body. Known as the Mesentery, the organ has been hiding in plain sight in our digestive system for all this time.

Although, the function is not exactly clear, the discovery is said to have opened up ‘a whole new area of science’. The Mesentery (meaning ‘in the middle of the intestines’) which connects the intestine to the abdomen, had for hundreds of years been considered a fragmented structure made up of multiple separate parts. However, research by Professor of Surgery at UL’s Graduate Entry Medical School, J Calvin Coffey, found the Mesentery is one, continuous structure.

The mesentery is a fold of the peritoneum which attaches the stomach, small intestine, pancreas, spleen, and other organs to the abdomen. Coffey added, “This is relevant universally as it affects all of us. Up to now there was no such field as mesenteric science.” He believes that mesenteric science is its own specific field of medical study in the same way as gastroenterology, neurology and coloproctology.

Better understanding and further scientific study of the mesentery could lead to less invasive surgeries, fewer complications, faster patient recovery and lower overall costs.