Esophagus 1 Anatomy

OESOPHAGUS

1. ANATOMY

The oesophagus is a hollow muscular tube that begins at the lower

end  of the pharynx and ends in the stomach, it is 10 inches  (25

cm) in length.

 - Its maximum diameter in an adult is 2.5 cm and it  narrows  at

   its  junction with the pharynx (upper end) and stomach  (lower

   end).

 - It is  also narrow at the level of the 4th  thoracic  vertebra

   where the trachea bifurcates anterior to it .

 - The oesophagus is lined with mucosa (squamous cell) and has an

   inner circular muscular layer and an outer longitudinal layer.

 - In between these muscles, are the ganglion cells of Meissner's

   and  Auerbach plexus,the submucosa has the  Meissner's  neural

   plexus.

 - There is no serosa.

The  blood  supply  of  the  thoracic  oesophagus  is  from   the

oesophageal branches of the aorta, there are in addition branches

from  the  inferior  thyroid,  intercostal,  bronchial,  inferior

phrenic and left gastric arteries.

The   oesophagus  is  supplied  by  both  the   sympathetic   and

parasympathetic nerves.

The  lymphatics  arise  in the mucosa and form a  plexus  in  the

intermuscular  layer and the lymphatics drain to  the  lymphnodes

along the aorta

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