Stomach and duodenum

Abstract

The stomach is a J-shaped dilation of the alimentary tract derived from the embryonic foregut. It lies in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen where the gastroesophageal junction is located to the left of the 10th thoracic vertebrae and crosses the midline at the pylorus, which is to the right of the LI vertebral body. It is contiguous proximally with the esophagus and distally with the duodenum (Fig. 45.1). The stomach is fixed in two locations, the gastroesophageal junction and the retroperitoneal attachments at the duodenum. It can be divided into four anatomic regions (Fig. 45.2). The cardia is the most proximal region and is located just distal and to the left of the gastroesophageal junction. The fundus projects upward and is in contact with the left hemidiaphragm to the right of the spleen. The corpus, or body, is the largest portion of the stomach and is located below the fundus. The most distal portion of the stomach is the antrum. Its proximal boundary is an arbitrary line connecting the incisura angularis, which is located approximately two-thirds of the distance down the lesser curvature, to the greater curvature where the gastroepiploic arteries enter the stomach. © 2008 Springer New York.