Stomach, Diaphragm & Esophagus
Stomach
The stomach is located in the upper left portion of the abdominal cavity, below the diaphragm.
To find it, open the abdominal cavity and the liver should be easy to locate. Once you see the liver, lift up the left lateral and left central lobes, and the stomach should be there. It looks like a slimy, J-shaped sack. When poked it should have a lot of give into the pressure, giving it a squishy consistency. *Audio Description* |
Rugae
First see the description of the stomach above. Once you find the stomach, make an incision with the scalpel, and use the scissors to make it a little larger until you can clearly see the inside of the stomach.
The folds inside the stomach are the rugae, which expand and contract when the stomach takes in food. The rugae are comparable to the way an accordion gets bigger and smaller. The purpose of the Rugae is to increase the surface area contact of the food to the stomach, so more food is digested at one time. *Idiot Audio Description* |
Greater, Lesser Curvatures, Fundus, Pylorus & Pyloric Sphincter
The different regions of the stomach are labeled in the video and in the diagram below for your convenience.
- The part closest to the esophagus is the cardiac region. - The fundus is the anterior portion of the stomach near the diaphragm. - The pyloric region connects to the duodenum at the pyloric sphincter. - The body lies between the fundus and the pylorus. - The greater and lesser curvatures are the outer surfaces of the stomach. *Audio Description* |
Diaphragm
The diaphragm separates the abdominal and thoracic cavities and is relatively easy to find. As seen in the video, we cut open the abdominal cavity and some of the thoracic cavity. It lies superior to the liver and is darker than the other organs. It is relatively thin and superficial, and it can be cut through easily.
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Esophagus
The esophagus is a tube of muscle that moves food to the stomach with peristaltic, or wave-like, movements. The esophagus is collapsed when food is not passing through it, and is solely a food conduit. No digestion actually occurs it simply carries food from the mouth to the stomach.
To find the esophagus, open up the thoracic cavity and you should be able to see the tube run from the neck all the way to the stomach. It may be easier to start from the stomach and work your way up to the neck just so you can't confuse it with the trachea, which ends at the lungs. The trachea is ringed and looks much more like a pipe (wind pipe), where as the esophagus is composed of involuntary smooth muscle. *Audio Description* |