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Multiple Choice

Which term refers to gas in the digestive system?

Gas in the digestive system is called flatus. Flatus refers to the mixture of gases produced by the digestive tract and swallowed air that is expelled through the rectum as flatulence. It can include nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen, and small amounts of other gases. The other terms describe different things: diverticulosis is a condition involving small pouches in the colon; chyme is the semi-liquid mass of partly digested food in the stomach; ileostomy is a surgically created opening from the ileum to the outside of the body. So flatus is the term that specifically denotes intestinal gas.

Gas in the digestive system is called flatus. Flatus refers to the mixture of gases produced by the digestive tract and swallowed air that is expelled through the rectum as flatulence. It can include nitrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen, and small amounts of other gases. The other terms describe different things: diverticulosis is a condition involving small pouches in the colon; chyme is the semi-liquid mass of partly digested food in the stomach; ileostomy is a surgically created opening from the ileum to the outside of the body. So flatus is the term that specifically denotes intestinal gas.