The human stomach is a muscular, elastic,
pear-shaped bag
Most dilated part of GI tract
Lies crosswise in the abdominal cavity
in the left hypogastric and epigastric regions beneath the
diaphragm.
It is capable of gross alterations in size and
shape, depending on the position of the body and the amount of food inside.
The stomach is about 30 cm long and 15 cm
wide at its widest point.
Its capacity is about 1500 cc in the adult.
The surface of the mucosa is honeycombed with
over 35,000 gastric glands and is folded into numerous ridges that almost
disappear when the stomach is distended with food.
The
cardia is the intersection of the stomach and esophagus.
A ring of muscle known as the cardiac
sphincter is present here
The fundus is the
most superior part of the stomach.
It is above the entrance of esophagus
On Chest X-ray, air is usually seen in the
fundus, producing the"gastric bubble".
The distal stomach consists of the body,
pylorus and antrum.
The antrum forms the beginning of the distal stomach.
The pyloric canal is 3 cm long that leads from the stomach to the duodenum
The pyloric sphincter separates the
stomach from duodenum and remains closed until the food in the stomach has
been modified and is in a suitable condition to pass into the small intestine.
