Oesophagus anatomy
Also known as: esophagus, gullet
A muscular tube carrying swallowed food from the pharynx to the stomach.
About
The oesophagus: a 25 cm muscular tube carrying food from the pharynx through the chest to the stomach.
Function. Peristaltic waves push swallowed food downward; the lower sphincter stops stomach acid returning.
Clinical note. Reflux, Barrett's oesophagus and oesophageal cancer; swallowing difficulty (dysphagia) needs investigation.
Structures in the atlas 1
The modelled pieces that make up the oesophagus in the 3D atlas. Each opens in the explorer.
The digestive in brief
The digestive tract is a nine-metre tube from mouth to anus. Food is chewed, swallowed down the oesophagus, churned with acid in the stomach, digested and absorbed along the small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, ileum), and its residue concentrated in the colon. The liver, gallbladder and pancreas pour bile and enzymes into the duodenum. The model includes the tongue, salivary glands and gums, the stomach and intestines in many segments, the liver as eight hepatovenous segments with its bile ducts, the gallbladder, the pancreas and the mesenteries that suspend the gut.