Is the "ileocaecal valve" a valve?
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Some anatomic descriptions prefer to term it a "sphincter" since it has circular muscle fibers, generates tonic pressure, and responds to neuroenteric stimuli and pharmacologic agents similarly to a sphincter (1,2). The mechanisms involving distal ileum motility and ileocaecal valve tone have not been completely elucidated, but short-chain fatty acids are thought to stimulate the movement of enteric contents from the ileum to the caecum (3).