Cecum
The hamster cecum is slightly sacculated and divided
into apical and basal portions (Krueger and Rieschel,
1950). A groove in the external cecal wall corresponds to
the location of a semilunar valve delineating the division
between the two portions (Yonce and Krueger, 1952).
There are four valves in the hamster ileocecal–colic junctions:
the ileocecal valve, the apicobasal valve, the basal
semilunar valve, and the chevron valve. The ileocecal
valve has a semilunar lip projecting into the lumen
of the ileum. The apicobasal semilunar valve, located
on the apical side of the ileocecal junction, functions to
shunt the contents of the small intestine directly into the
colon. The basal semilunar valve is located 5 mm toward
the colon from the apicobasal semilunar valve, while the
chevron valve is located at the cecal–colonic junction
and is formed from the ends of the muscular chevrons
located in the colon