Gastrointestinal tract (GIT)

GIT an organ system within humans and other animals which

takes in food, digests it to extract and absorb energy and
nutrients, and expels the remaining waste as feces.

Consist of a hollow muscular tube starting from the oral

cavity, where food enters the mouth, continuing through
the pharynx,esophagus,stomach and intestines to the
rectum and anus where food is expelled.

There are various organs that assist the tract by secreting

enzymes to help breakdown food into its component
nutrients. Thus the salivary glands, liver, pancreas and gall
bladder have important functions in the digestive system.

Food is propelled along the length of GIT by peristaltic

movement of the muscular walls.
ESOPHAGUS
The esophagus is a fibromuscular tube, is one of the upper parts of the digestive system
about 25 centimeters long in adults, which travels behind the trachea and heart, passes
through the diaphragm and empties into the uppermost region of the stomach.

It begins at the back of the mouth, passing downwards through the rear part of
the mediastinum behind the trachea and heart, passes through the diaphragm
and empties into the uppermost region of the stomach.
In humans, the esophagus generally starts around the level of the sixth cervical
vertebra behind the cricoid cartilage of the trachea, enters the diaphragm at
about the level of the tenth thoracic vertebra, and ends at the cardia of the
stomach, at the level of the eleventh thoracic vertebra.
The abdominal part of esophagus is only1.25cm long.Enters the abdomen through
esophageal opening of the diaphragm at the level T10
Sphincters  The esophagus is surrounded at the top and bottom by two muscular
rings, known respectively as the upper esophageal sphincter and the
lower esophageal sphincter These sphincters act to close the
esophagus when food is not being swallowed.
 The upper esophageal sphincter is an anatomical sphincter, which is
formed by lower portion of inferior pharyngeal.It consists of skeletal
muscle but is not under voluntary control. Opening of the upper
esophageal sphincter is triggered by the swallowing reflex. The
primary muscle of the upper esophageal sphincter is
the cricopharyngeal part of the inferior pharyngeal constrictor.
 the lower esophageal sphincter is not an anatomical but rather a
functional sphincter. The lower esophageal sphincter, or
gastroesophageal sphincter, surrounds at the junction between the
esophagus and the stomach. It is also called the cardiac sphincter or
cardioesophageal sphincter.
 Dysfunction of the gastroesophageal sphincter causes
gastroesophageal reflux, which causes heartburn and if it happens
often enough, can lead to gastroesophageal reflux disease, with
damage of the esophageal mucosa.
Stomach

 Muscular bag
 Widest and most distensible
part of digestive tube
 Connected above to the lower
part of esophagus and below
to the duodenum.
 Act as a reservoir of food and
help in digestion of
carbohydrates, proteins and
fats.
Location
 Lies obliquely in the upper and left
part of the abdomen.
 Occupying the epigastric, umbilical
and left hypochondriac region
 Lies under cover of left costal
margin and the ribs.

Size and capacity

30ml at birth
1 1/2-2liters or more in adult
Shape
 Depends upon the degree of its
distention and that of surrounding
viscera. When empty shape is
somewhat J shape.
 External features

 Two orifices or openings

 Two curvatures or
borderd
 Two surfaces
ORIFICES
 Cardiac orifices is joined by the lower end of the esophagus it lies behind
left 7th costal cartilage, at the level of vertebra T11.
 Pyloric orifices opens into the duodenum in an empty stomach and
supine position at the level of lower border of L1.
CURVE
 Lesser curvature is concave and forms right border of stomach. Provide attachment to the lesser
omentum.angular notch or incisura angularis is present.
 Greater curvature is a convex and form the left border of stomach. Provides attachment to
greater omentum.at the upper end cardiac notch is present which separates it from esophagus.
Surfaces
 Anterosuperior surface
faces forward and
upward
 Posteroinferior surface
faces backwards and
downwards.
Parts of stomach

Two parts
 Cardiac : large part line drawn downwards and to the
left from incisura angularis cardiac part further divides
into 2 :
1. Fundus
2. Body of stomach
Gastric glands distributed in the fundus and body of
stomach. Contain three types of cells:
 Mucous cell
 Chief or peptic cell digestive enzymes
 Partietal or oxyntic cell HCL
 PYLORIC PART
The pylorus or pyloric part, connects the stomach to
the duodenum. The pylorus is considered as having two
parts, the pyloric antrum (opening to the body of the
stomach) and the pyloric canal (opening to the
duodenum). The pyloric canal ends as the pyloric
orifice, which marks the junction between the stomach
and the duodenum. The orifice is surrounded by
a pyloric sphincter.
Blood supply of stomach
 Lesser curvature : Left and right gastric artery
 Greater curvature: Left and right gastroepiploic artery
 Fundus: 5 to 7 short gastric arteries.
Venous drainage
 Right and left gastric into portal vein
 Right gastroepiploic artery into superior mesenteric
 Left gastroepiploic artery and short gastric artery into splenic
vein.
Nerve supply
Main supply by right and left
vagus nerve.
Sympathetic nerve Parathasympathetic nerve
 Derived from spinal segments T5-  Vagus nerve
T10  90% is afferent (info transmitting
 A.vasomotor from stomach to cns)
 B. motor to the pyloric sphincter
but inhibitory to rest of the gastric
muscle
 C. the chief pathway for pain
sensation from stomach
  Two sphincters keep the contents of the stomach contained; the lower
oesophageal sphincter (found in the cardiac region), at the junction of the
oesophagus and stomach, and the pyloric sphincter at the junction of the
stomach with the duodenum.