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Stomach

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 07.07.2025
 
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The stomach (gaster, ventriculus) is an expanded section of the digestive tract located between the esophagus and the duodenum. Food is retained in the stomach for 4-6 hours. During this time, it is mixed and digested under the action of gastric juice containing pepsin, lipase, hydrochloric acid, and mucus. The stomach also absorbs sugar, alcohol, water, and salts. An antianemic factor (Castle factor) is formed in the gastric mucosa, binding vitamin B 12 and promoting its absorption by the intestinal wall.

The shape of the stomach, its position, and size constantly change depending on the amount of food consumed, body position, and body type. In people with a brachymorphic body type, the stomach has the shape of a horn (cone), located almost transversely. With a dolichomorphic body type, the stomach resembles an elongated stocking, located almost vertically and then sharply bending to the right. With a mesomorphic body type, the stomach has the shape of a hook. Its long axis goes from left to right and from back to front and is located almost in the frontal plane.

The stomach is located in the upper part of the abdominal cavity. Three quarters of it are in the left hypochondrium, one quarter in the epigastrium. The entrance to the stomach is located to the left of the spine at the level of the 10th-11th (sometimes XII) thoracic vertebrae. The exit from the stomach is located to the right of the spine at the level of the 12th thoracic or 1st lumbar vertebra. Often, especially in obese people, a prolapse of the stomach with a downward displacement of its borders (gastroptosis) is observed.

The length of an empty stomach in an adult is 18-20 cm, width - 7-8 cm. A moderately filled stomach has a length of 24-26 cm, width - 10-12 cm. The capacity of the stomach varies from 1.5 to 4 liters.

The stomach has an anterior wall (paries anterior), directed forward and slightly upward, and a posterior wall (paries posterior), facing backward and downward. The place where the esophagus enters the stomach is called the cardiac opening (ostium cardiacum). Next to it is the cardiac part (pars cardiaca), or cardia of the stomach. To the left of it, the stomach expands, forming a bottom (vault) (fundus, s.fornix) which passes downward and to the right into the body of the stomach (corpus ventriculi). The left convex edge, directed downward, is called the greater curvature of the stomach (curvatura ventriculi major), the right concave edge is called the lesser curvature of the stomach (curvatura ventriculi (gastrica) minor). The narrowed right part of the stomach - the pyloric part (pars pilorica), or pylorus, is subdivided into two sections. A distinction is made between a wide part - the pyloric cave (antrum pyioricurn) and a narrowed part - the pyloric canal (canalis pyloricus), which passes into the duodenum. The boundary between the pylorus and the duodenum on the surface of the organ is a circular groove corresponding to the opening of the pyloric canal (ostium pyloricurn) and a ring muscle - the pyloric sphincter.

The lesser curvature of the stomach forms a shallow angular notch (incisure angularis) at the border of the body and the pyloric part. On the greater curvature there is a notch separating the cardiac part from the fundus of the stomach.

The anterior wall of the stomach, with its hook-shaped form, in the area of the cardiac part, fundus and body is in contact with the diaphragm, in the area of the lesser curvature - with the visceral surface of the left lobe of the liver. A small area of the body of the stomach, which has a triangular shape, is directly adjacent to the anterior abdominal wall. Behind the stomach is the omental bursa - a narrow slit-like space of the peritoneal cavity, which separates the stomach from the organs located retroperitoneally. Behind the stomach, also retroperitoneally, are the upper pole of the left kidney, adrenal gland and pancreas. The posterior surface of the stomach in the area of the greater curvature is adjacent to the transverse colon and its mesentery, in the upper part of this curvature (fundus of the stomach) - to the spleen.

The stomach moves during breathing and when the adjacent hollow organs (transverse colon) are filled. The least mobile zones are the inlet and outlet sections of the stomach. The position of the stomach is ensured by the presence of ligaments (peritoneal folds) that fix it. The hepatogastric ligament (lig. hepatogastricum) begins in the region of the porta hepatis and goes to the lesser curvature of the stomach. The gastrocolic ligament (lig. gastrocolicum) goes from the greater curvature of the stomach to the transverse colon. The gastrosplenic ligament (lig. gastrolienale) is directed from the beginning of the greater curvature and the left part of the fundus of the stomach to the porta spleen.

The walls of the stomach consist of the mucous membrane, submucosa, muscular and serous membranes.

The mucous membrane (tunica mucosa) is 0.5-2.5 mm thick. Along its lesser curvature from the cardiac to the pyloric orifice there are 4-5 longitudinal folds that facilitate the movement of the food mass (stomach track). In the area of the fundus and body of the stomach there are transverse, longitudinal and oblique folds. The location and size of the gastric folds (plicae gastricae) are constantly changing under various physiological conditions (autoplasty of the mucous membrane). At the transition from the pyloric canal to the duodenum, the mucous membrane forms a circular fold-valve of the pylorus (valvula pylorica). On the surface of the mucous membrane there are gastric fields (агеае gastricae). They have a polygonal shape, vary in size from 1 to 6 mm and give the surface of the stomach a unique granular appearance. Each field is separated from the neighboring one by a groove. On the surface of the gastric fields there are numerous gastric pits (foveolae gastricae), into which the excretory ducts of the gastric glands open. There are up to 60 gastric pits per 1 mm2 of the surface of the gastric mucosa.

The mucous membrane is covered with a single-layer cylindrical epithelium. The apical part of these cells is filled with granules. In the basal part of the epithelial cells there is an ovoid nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum. Above the nucleus is the Golgi complex. In the proper plate of the mucous membrane, along with vessels, nerves, lymphoid nodules, various cells (immunocytes, smooth myocytes, etc.), there are gastric glands.

The gastric glands are simple, tubular in shape, unbranched. There are proper (fundal), pyloric and cardiac glands of the stomach. The deepest bottom of the gland (its body) passes into the neck (excretory duct), and then into the isthmus. The isthmuses of 4-5 glands open into the gastric fossa. The total number of gastric glands is about 35 million.

The proper (main, fundic) glands of the stomach are 0.65 mm long and 30-50 µm in diameter. The length of the gland is 2-3 times greater than the depth of the gastric pit. The neck is one third of the gland's body in length. In the proper plate of the mucous membrane, the main glands are fixed by connective tissue in the neck area. Four types of cells are distinguished in the proper glands: main exocrine cells, parietal (parietal), mucous (accessory) cells (mucocytes) and endocrine cells.

The chief cells (glandulocytes) are found mainly in the area of the fundus and body of the gland; they produce pepsinogen and chymosin. Between the chief cells are located single parietal and endocrine cells. The chief cells have a cylindrical shape. The apical part of their cytoplasm contains granules of protein secretion. On the plasma membrane of the apical part there are many short microvilli. The chief cells are characterized by a developed Golgi complex, granular endoplasmic reticulum, a significant number of ribosomes. The nucleus is located under the Golgi complex.

Parietal cells (glandulocytes) are larger than the main cells. Parietal cells have a round or ellipsoid nucleus and many mitochondria. These cells are characterized by the presence of branched intracellular secretory canals that open into the lumen of the gland. In the lumens of the canals, there is an inactive complex of hydrochloric acid with protein synthesized by the cell. When this complex gets on the mucous membrane of the stomach, it disintegrates into hydrochloric acid and protein.

Mucous cells are smaller in size than the main and parietal glandulocytes. The cells are elongated, the nucleus is located basally, and the organelles are supranuclear. A relatively small number of mucous granules are located in the apical part of the cytoplasm. They are characterized by a weak development of the Golgi complex and endoplasmic reticulum, and a significant content of mitochondria.

Endocrine cells in the gastric glands have morphological and biochemical features. More than 10 varieties of these cells have been described. Enterochromaffin, or EC cells, are the most numerous and produce serotonin and melatonin. Enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells secrete histamine. A cells synthesize glucagon, D cells - somatostatin, D1 cells - vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, G cells - gastrin, P cells - bombesin, etc. Common to endocrine cells of different types are secretory granules under the nucleus in the basal part of the cytoplasm, supranuclear location of the Golgi complex. The secretion of the endocrine glands is released through the basal and basolateral parts of the cell membrane into the intercellular space.

The pyloric glands are located in the pylorus area, especially near the lesser curvature, and also near the greater curvature. The anatomical boundaries of the pyloric part of the stomach and the area of location of these glands do not coincide. The glands of this group in the form of wide strands can be located in the area of the fundus of the stomach. The pyloric glands are predominantly composed of mucocytes, between which parietal and endocrine cells are found. The main cells in the composition of these glands are absent.

The cardiac glands are located in the region of the cardia of the stomach. The extent of their localization varies individually. These glands contain mainly mucocytes; there are also parietal and endocrine cells.

The muscular plate of the mucous membrane (lamina muscularis mucosae) is formed by three layers of smooth myocytes: the inner and outer layers are oriented circularly, the middle one is longitudinal. Individual thin muscle bundles penetrate into the thickness of the proper plate of the mucous membrane. Contraction of the smooth muscle elements promotes the formation of folds of the mucous membrane and the removal of secretions from the gastric glands.

The submucosa (tela submucosa) is well developed. Its loose fibrous connective tissue is rich in elastic fibers, contains vessels and nerves, numerous lymphoid nodules and various cellular elements.

The muscular coat of the stomach (tunica muscularis) is formed by smooth muscle tissue, which forms three layers. The outer layer of the musculature has a longitudinal orientation, the middle layer has a circular orientation, and the inner layer has an oblique orientation. The longitudinal muscle bundles are located mainly near the lesser and greater curvatures of the stomach; individual longitudinal bundles are present in the pylorus area. Thickening of the circulatory layer in the cardia area forms the cardiac sphincter. Its thickness is associated with the shape of the stomach. In a stocking-shaped stomach, the sphincter is thicker and narrower, while in a horn-shaped stomach this sphincter is thinner but wider. The circular layer is most developed in the pyloric section, where it forms the pyloric sphincter (m.sphincter pylorici) 3-5 mm thick. When it contracts, the outlet from the stomach into the duodenum closes. The oblique muscle bundles lie under the circulatory muscles. Obliquely oriented bundles of myocytes are thrown over the cardiac part to the left of the cardiac opening and fan down and to the right in the thickness of the anterior and posterior walls of the stomach in the direction of the greater curvature, where they are woven into the submucosa. Between the muscle layers is the intermuscular nerve plexus. The muscles of the stomach maintain its tone, create constant pressure in the lumen of the stomach and carry out mixing of food masses (peristalsis) in it. As a result of mixing of food masses with gastric juice, chyme is formed - a liquid gruel, which is excreted in separate portions from the stomach into the duodenum.

The stomach is covered externally by the peritoneum (intraperitoneal position). Only narrow strips located on the lesser and greater curvatures are devoid of serous cover. The serous membrane is separated from the muscular by the subserous base.

Innervation of the stomach: gastric plexus, formed by the vagus nerves and sympathetic nerve fibers of the celiac plexus.

Blood supply to the stomach: left gastric artery (from the celiac trunk), right gastroepiploic artery (from the gastroduodenal artery), right gastric artery (from the proper hepatic artery), left gastroepiploic artery and short gastric arteries (from the splenic artery). The gastric and gastroepiploic arteries anastomose, forming an arterial ring around the stomach. Venous outflow: left and right gastric, left and right gastroepiploic veins (tributaries of the portal vein).

Gastric lymph drainage: right and left gastric, right and left gastroepiploic, pyloric lymph nodes.

X-ray anatomy of the stomach. The shape of the stomach is extremely variable. Taking into account the digestive and motor functions, the stomach is divided into a digestive sac (saccus digestorius) and an excretory (evacuation) canal (canalis egestorius). The digestive sac corresponds to the vault and body of the stomach, and the excretory canal corresponds to the pyloric part and the pylorus. When X-raying with barium sulfate, the relief of the folds of the mucous membrane and peristaltic waves can be seen.

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