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esophagus

 
Dictionary: e·soph·a·gus  oe·soph·a·gus (ĭ-sŏf'ə-gəs) pronunciation
also
n., pl., -gi, also -gi (-jī', -gī').
The muscular membranous tube for the passage of food from the pharynx to the stomach; the gullet.

[Middle English isophagus, from Medieval Latin ēsophagus, from Greek oisophagos, arbitrary medical coinage perhaps from ois-, future tense stem of pherein, to carry + -phagos, food (unattested sense) (from phagein, to eat).]

esophageal e·soph'a·ge'al (-jē'əl) adj.

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Muscular tube that conveys food by peristalsis from the pharynx to the stomach. Both ends are closed off by sphincters (muscular constrictions), which relax to let food through and close to keep it from backing up. Disorders include ulceration and bleeding, heartburn from stomach acid, achalasia (failure of one or both sphincters to open), and muscle spasms. Scleroderma may involve the esophagus.

For more information on esophagus, visit Britannica.com.

Sci-Tech Encyclopedia: Esophagus
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A section of the alimentary canal that is interposed between the pharynx and the stomach. Because of divergent specializations in the various vertebrates, the esophagus cannot be described in general terms and is not always distinguishable.

In humans it is a tube running the full length of the neck and the thorax, held in its position ventral to the vertebral centra by a tunica adventitia of loose connective tissue. It has an inner lining of folded mucous membrane with an exceptionally thick lamina propria, a submucosa of elastic and collagenous connective tissue, and two layers of muscle. The musculature is striated in the anterior third of its length, unstriated in the posterior third, and variably intermixed in the middle. It is supplied with autonomic nerve fibers.

Although normally collapsed, the human esophagus is capable of considerable distension during the rapid passage of swallowed material, under which condition the folds of mucous membrane and lamina propria are temporarily smoothed out. Numerous microscopic esophageal glands open into the lumen, extending their compound tubules out into the submucosa.

In humans the transition from the esophagus to the stomach occurs quite abruptly at the diaphragm. The pharynx narrows posteriorly like a funnel and the foregut may thereupon enlarge, but much of what appears to be stomach may have an esophageal character histologically. See also Digestive system.


World of the Body: oesophagus
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Oesophagus (esophagus), from the Greek for gullet, refers to the muscular tube, with a mucus-secreting lining, that leads from the mouth via the pharynx, down through the neck and the thorax, and through the diaphragm to the stomach. In the neck it lies behind the air passages — the lower end of the larynx and the upper part of the trachea. In the thorax, it continues behind the trachea and the heart, to pass into the abdominal cavity through a gap in the muscle of the diaphragm; less than an inch below this, it opens into the stomach. When swallowing occurs, food is pushed into the top of the oesophagus, and is then propelled onwards by waves of circular muscle relaxation below it and of contraction above it: the peristalsis that occurs throughout the gut. This process can if necessary defeat gravity; food, and even liquids, can be swallowed even standing on one's head, though clearly this is not generally attempted except as a remarkable demonstration. Muscle encircling the oesophagus at the top and bottom provides sphincters that, respectively, prevent air being sucked in during inhalation, and regurgitation of stomach contents.

— Stuart Judge

See alimentary system; swallowing.

Dental Dictionary: esophagus
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n

The muscular canal, about 25 cm long, extending from the pharynx to the stomach.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: esophagus
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esophagus (ĭsŏf'əgəs), portion of the digestive tube that conducts food from the mouth to the stomach. When food is swallowed it passes from the pharynx into the esophagus, initiating rhythmic contractions (peristalsis) of the esophageal wall, which propel the food along toward the stomach. The walls of the esophagus are lined with mucous glands that continue the lubrication of the food as it is conducted to the stomach. The human esophagus is about 10 in. (25 cm) long and 1 in. (2.5 cm) in diameter. See digestive system.


Health Dictionary: esophagus
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(i-sof-uh-guhs)

The muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach and serves as a passageway for food. (See digestive system.)

Veterinary Dictionary: esophagus
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The musculomembranous passage extending from the pharynx to the stomach, consisting of an outer fibrous coat, a muscular layer (all striated in dogs and ruminants, plus some smooth muscle in cats, pigs and horses), a submucous layer, and an inner mucous membrane. Each end is equipped with a functional sphincter although these are not distinct anatomically.

  • redundant e. — a ventral esophageal deviation at the thoracic inlet. Seen on x-rays, mainly in brachycephalic dogs.
Word Tutor: esophagus
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: The muscular membranous tube for the passage of food from the pharynx to the stomach.

pronunciation The esophagus is surrounded by muscles that help food to move from the mouth to the stomach.

Wikipedia: Esophagus
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Esophagus
Illu01 head neck.jpg
Head and neck.
BauchOrgane wn.png
Digestive organs. (Esophagus is #1)
Latin œsophagus
Gray's subject #245 1144
Artery esophageal arteries
Vein esophageal veins
Nerve celiac ganglia, vagus[1]
Precursor Foregut
MeSH oesophagus
Dorlands/Elsevier Esophagus

The esophagus or oesophagus (see spelling differences), sometimes known as the gullet, is an organ in vertebrates which consists of a muscular tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach. The word esophagus is derived from the Latin œsophagus, which derives from the Greek word oisophagos (οισοφάγος), lit. "entrance for eating." In humans the esophagus is continuous with the laryngeal part of the pharynx at the level of the C6 vertebra. The esophagus passes through a hole in the diaphragm at the level of the tenth thoracic vertebrae (T10). It is usually about 25–30 cm long and connects the mouth to the stomach. It is divided into abdominal parts.

Contents

Histology

The layers of the esophagus are as follows:[2]

Gastroesophageal junction

The junction between the esophagus and the stomach (the gastroesophageal junction or GE junction) is not actually considered a valve, although it is sometimes called the cardiac sphincter, cardia or cardias, although it is actually better resembles a stricture.

In other animals

In most fish, the esophagus is extremely short, primarily due to the length of the pharynx (which is associated with the gills). However, some fish, including lampreys, chimaeras, and lungfish, have no true stomach, so that the oesophagus effectively runs from the pharynx directly to the intestine, and is therefore somewhat longer.[3]

In tetrapods, the pharynx is much shorter, and the esophagus correspondingly longer, than in fish. In amphibians, sharks and rays, the esophageal epithelium is ciliated, helping to wash food along, in addition to the action of muscular peristalsis. In the majority of vertebrates, the esophagus is simply a connecting tube, but in birds, it is extended towards the lower end to form a crop for storing food before it enters the true stomach.[3]

A structure with the same name is often found in invertebrates, including molluscs and arthropods, connecting the oral cavity with the stomach.

See also

Additional images

References

  1. ^ Physiology at MCG 6/6ch2/s6ch2_30
  2. ^ Histology at BU 10801loa
  3. ^ a b Romer, Alfred Sherwood; Parsons, Thomas S. (1977). The Vertebrate Body. Philadelphia, PA: Holt-Saunders International. pp. 344-345. ISBN 0-03-910284-X. 

External links


Translations: Esophagus
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - spiserør, øsofagus

Nederlands (Dutch)
slokdarm

Français (French)
n. - ¯sophage

Deutsch (German)
n. - Ösophagus, Speiseröhre

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - οισοφάγος

Italiano (Italian)
esofago

Português (Portuguese)
n. - esôfago (m) (Anat.)

Русский (Russian)
пищевод

Español (Spanish)
n. - esófago

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - matstrupe

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
食道

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 食道

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 식도

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 食道

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) المرئ‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮ושט‬


 
 

 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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Sci-Tech Encyclopedia. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
World of the Body. The Oxford Companion to the Body. Copyright © 2001, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more
Health Dictionary. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.  Read more
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