<P> The appendix is connected to the mesentery in the lower region of the ileum, by a short region of the mesocolon known as the mesoappendix . </P> <P> Some identical twins--known as mirror image twins--can have a mirror - imaged anatomy, a congenital condition with the appendix located in the lower left quadrant of the abdomen . Intestinal malrotation may also cause displacement of the appendix to the left side . </P> <P> While the base of the appendix is typically located 2 cm below the ileocecal valve, the tip of the appendix can be variably located--in the pelvis, outside the peritoneum or behind the cecum . The prevalence of the different positions varies amongst populations with the retrocecal position being most common in Ghana and Sudan, with 67.3% and 58.3% occurrence respectively, in comparison to Iran and Bosnia where the pelvic position is most common, with 55.8% and 57.7% occurrence respectively . </P> <P> In very rare cases, the appendix may not be present at all (laparotomies for suspected appendicitis have given a frequency of 1 in 100,000). </P>

What is the function of the human vermiform appendix