The stomach is one of the important components of the system of our body, on which its normal functioning directly depends. Many are aware of the tasks of this organ, its location in the peritoneum. However, not everyone is familiar with the parts of the stomach. We will list their names, functions, and provide other important information about the organ.
What is this?
The stomach is called a hollow muscular organ, the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract). It is located between the tube-esophagus and the component of the small intestine - the duodenum.
The average volume of an empty organ is 0.5 l (depending on the anatomical features, it can reach up to 1.5 l). After eating, it increases to 1 liter. Someone can stretch up to 4 liters!
The size of the organ will vary depending on the fullness of the stomach, the type of human physique. On average, the length of a filled stomach is 25 cm, an empty one is 20 cm.
Food in this organ, on average, stays for about 1 hour. Some food can be digested in only 0.5 hours, some - 4 hours.
The structure of the stomach
The anatomical components of an organ are four parts:
- Anterior wall of the organ.
- Posterior wall of the stomach.
- Greater curvature.
- Small curvature of the organ.
The walls of the stomach will be heterogeneous, they will consist of four layers:
- Mucous membrane. Internal, it is covered with a cylindrical single-layer epithelium.
- The base is submucosal.
- Muscular layer. In turn, it will consist of three sublayers of smooth muscles. This is the inner sublayer of the oblique muscles, the middle sublayer of the circular muscles, the outer sublayer of the longitudinal muscles.
- Serous membrane. The outer layer of the organ wall.
The following organs will be adjacent to the stomach:
- Top, back and left - spleen.
- Behind - the pancreas.
- Front - left side of the liver.
- Bottom - loops of the lean (small) intestines.
Parts of the stomach
And now the main topic of our conversation. The parts of the stomach are as follows:
- Cardiac (pars cardiaca). It is located at the level of the 7th row of ribs. Directly adjacent to the esophageal tube.
- The vault or bottom of an organ (fundus (fornix) ventricul). It is located at the level of the cartilage of the 5th right rib. It is located to the left and above from the cardinal previous part.
- Pyloric (pyloric) department. The anatomical location is the right Th12-L1 vertebra. Will be adjacent to the duodenum. Inside itself, it is divided into several more sections - the antral part of the stomach (antrum), the pyloric cave andgatekeeper channel.
- The body of the organ (corpus ventriculi). It will be located between the arch (bottom) and the gastric pyloric section.
If you look at the anatomical atlas, you can see that the bottom is adjacent to the ribs, while the pyloric part of the stomach is closer to the spinal column.
Let's now look at the features and functions of each of the above departments of the body in detail.
Cardiac
The cardial part of the stomach is the initial section of the organ. Anatomically, it communicates with the esophagus through an opening that is limited by the cardia (lower esophageal sphincter). Hence, in fact, the name of the department.
Cardia (a kind of muscular valve) prevents the gastric juice from being thrown into the cavity of the esophageal tube. And this is very important, since the mucous membranes of the esophagus are not protected from hydrochloric acid (the contents of gastric juice) by a special secret. The cardial section, like other parts of the stomach, is protected from it (acid) by mucus, which is produced by the glands of the organ.
So what about heartburn? From it, burning, pain in the upper part of the stomach is one of the symptoms of reverse reflux (throwing of gastric juice into the esophageal tube). However, do not rely solely on it as part of self-diagnosis. The upper section is the point at which pains of various nature can converge. Unpleasant sensations, cramps, heaviness in the upper part of the stomach are also consequences of damage to the esophagus, gallbladder, pancreas and other digestive organs.
Moreover, this is one of the symptoms of dangerous conditions and pathologies:
- Acute appendicitis (especially in the early hours).
- Spleen infarction.
- Atherosclerosis of large abdominal vessels.
- Pericarditis.
- Myocardial infarction.
- Intercostal neuralgia.
- Aortic aneurysm.
- Pleurisy.
- Pneumonia etc.
The fact that the pains are associated specifically with the stomach can be indicated by their frequency, the occurrence immediately after eating. In any case, this will be an occasion for a visit to a gastroenterologist - a doctor whose specialization includes diseases of the digestive tract.
In addition, heaviness in the initial gastric section can also speak not of a disease, but of a banal overeating. The organ, whose dimensions are not unlimited, begins to put pressure on the neighbors, "complaining" about the excessive overflow of food.
Bottom organ
The vault, the bottom of the organ is its fundal part. But we will be a little surprised when we open the anatomical atlas. The bottom will not be in the lower part of the stomach, which logically follows from the name, but, on the contrary, on top, slightly to the left of the previous cardiac section.
The shape of the fornix of the stomach resembles a dome. Which determines the second name of the bottom of the organ.
Here are the following important components of the system:
- Own (other name - fundic) gastric glands that produce enzymes that break down food.
- Glands that secrete hydrochloric acid. Why is she needed? The substance is bactericidaleffect - kills harmful microorganisms contained in food.
- Glands that produce protective mucus. The one that protects the gastric mucosa from the negative effects of hydrochloric acid.
Organ body
This is the largest, widest part of the stomach. From above, without a sharp transition, it goes into the bottom of the organ (fundal section), from below on the right side it will gradually narrow, passing into the pyloric section.
The same glands are located here as in the space of the fundus of the stomach, producing degrading enzymes, hydrochloric acid, protective mucus.
Throughout the body of the stomach, we can see a small curvature of the organ - one of its anatomical parts. By the way, this location is most often affected by peptic ulcer disease.
To the outer side of the organ, just along the line of lesser curvature, a small omentum will be attached. Along the line of greater curvature - the greater omentum. What are these educations? Peculiar canvases, consisting of adipose and connective tissue. Their main function is to protect the organs of the peritoneum from external mechanical influences. In addition, it is the large and small omentums that will limit the inflammatory focus if it occurs.
Gatekeeper
So we moved on to the last, pyloric (pyloric) part of the stomach. This is its final section, limited by the opening of the so-called pylorus, which opens already into the duodenum.
Anatomy additionally divides the pyloric part into several components:
- The gatekeeper's cave. This is the location that is directly adjacent to the body of the stomach. Interestingly, the diameter of the canal is equal to the size of the duodenum.
- Gatekeeper. This is a sphincter, a valve that separates the contents of the stomach from the mass located in the duodenum 12. The main task of the gatekeeper is to regulate the flow of food from the gastric region into the small intestine and prevent it from returning back. This task is especially important. The environment of the duodenum differs from the gastric one - it is alkaline, not acidic. In addition, aggressive bactericidal substances are produced in the small intestine, against which the mucus that protects the stomach is already defenseless. If the pyloric sphincter does not cope with its task, then for a person it is fraught with constant painful belching, stomach pains.
Stoma Shapes
Surprisingly, not all people have the same organ shape. The three most common types are:
- Horn shape. Such a stomach will lie transversely, gradually tapering to its pyloric section. The shape is most characteristic of people with a hypersthenic figure, characterized by a wide and short torso.
- Hook shape. The stomach is located obliquely, its descending and ascending sections form an almost right angle. The vast majority of its owners are people with a transitional type of figure (otherwise they are called normosthenics).
- Stocking shape. It is located in the space of the peritoneum almost vertically. The ascending half of the organ rises steeply, while the descending half is elongated and sharply lowered. Typical shape forasthenics - people with a narrow and long torso.
Functions of Organ
The stomach performs a number of important and diverse tasks in a living organism:
- Bactericidal (or protective) function - disinfection of incoming food due to the release of hydrochloric acid.
- Accumulation of food mass in its space, its mechanical processing, as well as pushing further along the digestive tract into the small intestine.
- Chemical processing of incoming food with the help of gastric juice. The latter contains enzymes (pepsin, lipase, chymosin), a share of hydrochloric acid.
- Absorption of substances from the food mass - sugar, s alt, water, etc.
- Excretory function. Note that it will increase with kidney failure.
- Isolation by special glands of the anti-anemic factor Castle. It is he who promotes the absorption of vitamin B12 from the food mass. Hence, people who survive gastrectomy develop anemia over time.
- Endocrine function. This is the production of biologically active substances, hormones by the gastric glands. These include serotonin, gastrin, histamine, motilin, substance P, somatostatin, etc.
Removal of part of the stomach
In another way, the operation is called organ resection. The decision to remove the stomach is made by the attending doctor if the cancerous tumor has affected a large part of the patient's organ. In this case, not the entire stomach is removed, but only a large part of it - 4/5or 3/4. Together with it, the patient loses the large and small omentums, the lymph nodes of the organ. The remaining stump is connected to the small intestine.
As a result of the operation to remove part of the stomach, the patient's body is deprived of the main zones of the secretory and motor functions of the organ, the pyloric outlet section that regulates the flow of food into the small intestine. New physiological, anatomical conditions of digestion are reflected for the patient by a number of pathological consequences:
- Dumping Syndrome. Insufficiently processed food in a reduced stomach enters the small intestine in large batches, which causes severe irritation of the latter. For the patient, this is fraught with a feeling of heat, general weakness, rapid heartbeat, and sweating. However, it is worth taking a horizontal position for 15-20 minutes so that the discomfort goes away.
- Spastic pain, nausea, vomiting. They appear 10-30 minutes after lunch and can last up to 2 hours. This consequence causes the rapid movement of food through the small intestine without the participation of the duodenum 12.
Dumping syndrome is not dangerous for the life and he alth of the patient, but sometimes it causes panic, overshadows normal life. A number of preventive measures help mitigate its consequences.
After removing part of the stomach, the patient is prescribed the following:
- Creating a special diet. Meals should contain more protein, fat products and less carbohydrates.
- Lost, reduced stomach functions can be replaced by slow and thorough chewingfood, taking a certain dose of citric acid with meals.
- Recommended fractional meals - about 5-6 times a day.
- Restrict s alt intake.
- Increase in the diet of the proportion of proteins, complex carbohydrates. Normal fat content. A sharp decrease in the diet of easily digestible carbohydrates.
- Restriction in the use of chemical and mechanical irritants of the mucous membrane of the intestinal tract. These include various marinades, smoked meats, pickles, canned foods, spices, chocolate, alcoholic and carbonated drinks.
- Fatty hot soup, milk sweet cereals, milk, tea with added sugar should be used with caution.
- All dishes must be eaten boiled, mashed, steamed.
- Eating exceptionally slow, chewing food pieces thoroughly.
- The systematic intake of citric acid solutions is required.
As practice shows, the full rehabilitation of the patient, subject to strict observance of preventive measures, occurs in 4-6 months. However, from time to time he is recommended x-ray, endoscopic examination. Vomiting, belching, aching pain "in the pit of the stomach" after dinner is a reason for an urgent appeal to a gastroenterologist, oncologist.
We have analyzed the structure and functions of the human stomach. The main parts of the organ are the fundus and body of the stomach, the cardiac and pyloric sections. All of them together perform a number of important tasks: digestion andmechanical processing of food, its disinfection with hydrochloric acid, the absorption of certain substances, the release of hormones and biologically active elements. People with a removed part of the stomach have to follow a number of preventive measures in order to rehabilitate, artificially replenish the work carried out by the body.
