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Pylorus

 

The ring of muscle that controls the passage of material from the stomach into the small intestine.

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Pylorus
Gray1046.svg
Outline of stomach, showing its anatomical landmarks.
Gray1050.png
Interior of the stomach. (Pylorus labeled at center left.)
Latin valvula pylori
Gray's subject #247 1164

The pylorus (pronounced /paɪˈlɔrəs, pɪˈlɔrəs/; from the Greek πυλωρός, "gate guard") is the region of the stomach that connects to the duodenum. It is divided in two parts:

The pyloric sphincter, or valve, is a strong ring of smooth muscle at the end of the pyloric canal and lets food pass from the stomach to the duodenum. It receives sympathetic innervation from celiac ganglion.

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Medical significance

One medical condition associated with the pylorus is pyloric stenosis. In such conditions as stomach cancer, tumours may partly block the pyloric canal. A special tube can be implanted surgically to connect the stomach to the duodenum so as to facilitate the passage of food from one to the other. This tube is called a "pyloric stent."

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In Popular Culture

Ignatius J. Reilly, the hero of John Kennedy Toole's tragicomic tale, A Confederacy of Dunces, complains frequently about problems with his pyloric valve. [1]

References

  1. ^ Toole, John Kennedy (2000). A Confederacy of Dunces. Baton Rouge, La.: "Louisiana State University Press". pp. 338. ISBN 0807126063. 

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juxtapyloric
peripyloric
pylorectomy

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