Acknowledgment The authors thank Douglas R. Morgan, Sheila E. Crowe, and Edward L. Lee who previously contributed to parts of this chapter. Definitions Patients, clinicians, endoscopists, and pathologists often define gastritis differently. Some define it as a symptom complex, others…
As discussed in the preceding chapter, the stomach is an active reservoir that stores, grinds, and slowly dispenses partially digested food to the intestine for further digestion and absorption. Its main secretory function is the production of hydrochloric acid. Gastric…
Gastric neuromuscular function refers to the contractions, relaxations, and peristaltic activities of the stomach. The 3 major neuromuscular activities of the stomach are (1) receptive relaxation of the fundus, (2) recurrent peristaltic waves of the corpus and antrum, and (3)…
Embryology and Anatomy Of the Stomach The stomach, as a J-shaped dilation of the alimentary canal, is continuous with the esophagus proximally and the duodenum distally. It functions primarily as a reservoir to store large quantities of recently ingested food,…
Conflicts of Interest and Acknowledgement SW: Supported by the University of Colorado Department of Medicine Outstanding Early Scholars Program, Consultant—Medtronic, Boston Scientific. HH: Consultant—Medtronic. Neal C. Patel and Francisco C. Ramirez contributed to earlier versions of this chapter. Esophageal cancer…
Barrett esophagus is the condition in which an abnormal columnar epithelium that has both gastric and intestinal features and that is predisposed to malignancy replaces the stratified squamous epithelium that normally lines the distal esophagus. The condition is named for…
Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is a physiologic process by which gastric contents move retrograde from the stomach to the esophagus. GER itself is not a disease and occurs multiple times each day without producing symptoms or mucosal damage. In contrast, GERD…
Medication-Induced Esophageal Injury Medication-induced esophageal injury occurs at any age and from a variety of commonly used medications. Nevertheless, medication-induced esophageal injury is likely underdiagnosed in clinical practice for several reasons. First, common and more serious problems such as acute…
The esophagus is a muscular tube with a sphincter at each end joining the hypopharynx to the stomach with the simple function of transporting food, fluid, and gas between these endpoints. As such, the esophagus encompasses the anatomic and physiologic…
Anatomy and Histology The esophagus acts as a conduit for the transport of food from the oral cavity to the stomach. To carry out this task safely and effectively, the esophagus is constructed as an 18- to 26-cm long hollow…