DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Dr Eid Nassar Ali

Anatomy Department
Taibah University
It consists of the following parts:

1- Mouth cavity and salivary glands.

2- Pharynx.

3- Esophagus.

4- Stomach.

5- Small intestine.

6- Large intestine.

7- Liver and biliary system.

8- Pancreas.
 Mouth cavity
consists of 2 parts :

1- vestibule of the mouth 2- mouth cavity proper

Vestibule of the mouth:

The space which lies outside the teeth and gums.

It is bounded by:

- the teeth and gums internally

- the cheeck and lips externally.

- It shows the opening of the duct of the parotid gland opposite

the upper 2nd molar tooth.

 Mouth cavity proper: Boundaries:

Superiorly (roof): Hard and soft palate

1. Infront and sides:

Behind: It is continuous with
teeth and gums.
the pharynx.

Inferiorly (floor): Muscles covered by mucous

membrane and the tongue.

 Tongue
It is a muscular organ covered by mucous membrane.
root
It consists of 3 parts: tip, root and body.

Functions of the tongue:

Chewing.

Speech body

Taste.

Swallowing.
tip

The under surface is connected

to the floor of the mouth by the frenulum
Two types: Teeth
1- Milk (deciduous) teeth:
Temporary teeth present
in the children, 20 in number
10 above and 10 below.
2- Permanent teeth:
They are 32 teeth,
16 above and 16 below,
arranged in each half of jaw as follows:
2 incisors, canine , 2 premolars, 3 molars.
 Salivary glands

sublingual gland

Parotid gland

submandibular gland
Parotid gland:
Site: lies below and in front of the auricle

Size: It is the largest salivary gland,

Shape: wedge-shaped,

. It has nearly a horizontal duct which open in the vestibule of

the mouth.

Applied anatomy : MUMPS

Viral infection of parotid gland (parotitis)

Leading to swelling of the gland

 Submandibular gland: It is about 1/2 the parotid size,

lies deep to and below the mandible.

Its duct opens in the floor of the mouth in the sublingual papilla

on either side of the frenulum of tongue.

Sublingual gland:

It is the smallest salivary gland, lies under the mucous

membrane of the floor of the mouth called sublingual fold. It

has 12-15 small ducts which open in the sublingual fold and few

of them open into the duct of submandibular gland.

 pharynx
Funnel-shaped muscular tube about 5 inches long, lies behind
the nasal cavity, oral cavity and larynx.
is divided into 3 parts
1-Nasopharynx: It lies behind the nasal cavity,
- acts as a passage for air only.
- Its upper part contains the nasopharyngeal tonsil (adenoid)
while the lower part shows the opening of Eustachian tube.
2- Oropharynx: It lies behind the oral (mouth) cavity
- acts as a passage for food and air. Its lateral wall contains the
palatine tonsil.
3- Laryngopharynx: It lies behind the larynx and acts as a
passage for food only.

Applied anatomy “ the site of impaction of foreign body as fish bones

 Oesophagus
- It is a muscular tube 25 cm long,
- begins in the neck as continuation of the pharynx.
- It descends for a short course in the neck, then it enters the
thoracic cavity, then it passes through the diaphragm to enter the
abdomen
- it ends in the cardiac end of the stomach.
- So it has 3 parts; short cervical part, long thoracic part and
very short abdominal part.

It has 4 narrow sites , which might be the site of foreign

body impaction
 Stomach
It is the most dilated part of the digestive tract.
Position: It lies in the upper part of the abdominal cavity.
behind the left lobe of liver and anterior wall of abdomen.
in front of the left kidney, pancreas and spleen.

Shape:. It is J-shaped when it is empty.

The stomach has the following features:
- It has 2 ends:
Cardiac end where the oesophagus ends Fundus
pyloric end where the duodenum begins
Cardiac end
N.B the pyloric end is guarded by pyloric sphincter
- It has 2 curvatures (borders):
Lesser curvature (right border)
greater curvature (left border). Lesser curvature

- It has 2 surfaces: Body

pyloric sphincter
Anterior and posterior.
- It has 3 parts:
Fundus, body and Pyloric part: Pyloric
part greater curvature
The pyloric part consists of 3 parts: Antrum, canal and
sphincter
pyloric end
 Applied anatomy

1- Gastritis and peptic ulcer:

Has many causes , one of them is
a bacteria called
Helicobacter pylori ( H-pylori)
 Small intestine

It has 3 parts:
•Duodenum:.
•Jejunum.
•Ileum.
 Duodenum
1
•The shortest, widest and most fixed part of the small intestine.
• 25 cm in length
• It is C-shaped with its concave part directed to the left side 2

and is occupied by the head of the pancreas 4

• 4 parts : 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th . 3
• The second part receives the openings of the bile duct and
pancreatic ducts

Applied anatomy :
Duodenal ulcer
 jejunum and ileum 6-meters in length,

Jejunum ileum
Site Proximal 2/5 Distal 3/5
Length 2.5 m 3.5 m
Wall Thick Thin
Lumen Wide, empty Narrow, contain food
Blood supply More , red Less, pale

jejunum
The ileum ends at the caecum,
The opening is guarded by
Ileocaecal valve

ileum
 Large Intestine
It is 1.5 meter in length, wider lumen and has 3 main characters:
- 3 bands of longitudinal muscle fibers (Taenia coli)
- many small sacs containing fat (Appendices epiploicae)
- dilatations in the wall of the colon (Saculations)

Parts:
1-Caecum: 4
2-Vermiform appendix:
3- Ascending colon. 3 5
4- Transverse colon.
5- Descending colon. 1
6- Sigmoid (pelvic) colon. 6
2
7- Rectum. 7
8 - Anal canal
8
Caecum:
- It lies in the lower right part of the abdominal cavity.
- It has lower blind end and it is continuous with ascending colon.
- Receives the opening of ileum and the appendix.
Vermiform appendix:
- Narrowest part of large intestine
- It is variable in length (2 to 20 cm) and position
- it opens into the caecum below the opening of the ileum.
- Rich in lymphoid tissue
- Applied anatomy
Acute appendicitis ,
- most common cause of abdominal colic
- Diagnosis is confirmed by
increased number of white blood cells( TLC)
 Anal canal
- 4 cm
- Opens below by the anus
- Contains sphincter for control of defecation

Applied anatomy :
- Anal fissure
- Anal abscess
- Anal fistula
- piles
 Liver
• Large wedge-shaped organ about 1.5 Kg in
weight, lies in the upper right part of the
abdominal cavity below the diaphragm.

• It consists of large right lobe and small

left lobe.
• The lower surface shows
- the hilum of the liver (porta hepatis) through
which the hepatic artery and portal vein enter
and the hepatic ducts leaves the liver.
- It also shows special fossa for gall bladder.

Applied anatomy :
- Hepatitis C, A and B
- Liver cirrhosis
- Liver cell failure diagnosed clinically and by liver function test
- Liver consists of 8 segments that allow liver donation and transplantation
 Gall bladder
neck
- A piriform sac that lies in the lower surface of the
right lobe of the liver. body

- It has 3 parts : fundus , body and neck

- It stores and concentrates bile which is secreted
from liver. Fundus
- The bile leaves the gall bladder through the cystic
duct which unites with the common hepatic duct of
liver to form the bile duct.

Applied anatomy:
- Inflammation of the gall bladder is called cholcystitis
- Stones of gall bladder
 1 1
Biliary System
- Liver secretes the bile through the right and left hepatic 2

ducts (1) which unite together forming the common hepatic 3

duct. (2)
- Gall bladder receives the bile and evacuates it through the
cystic duct. (3)
- The common hepatic duct unites with the cystic duct to form
the bile duct (4) 4

- The bile duct unites with the pancreatic duct (5) to form the
hepatopancreatic duct (6) which opens into the middle of the 6 5
second part of the duodenum.

Applied anatomy :
Obstruction of the bile duct by a stone leads to jaundice
With increased bilirubin
 Pancreas
• Soft lobulated gland, 12-15 cm long lies transversely
on the posterior wall of the abdomen. It extends from
the duodenum on the right side to the spleen on the
left side behind the stomach .
• It consists of 4 parts: head, neck, body, tail.
 Function : it is a mixed gland having :
Endocrine function: secretes
Insulin hormone: lowers the blood glucose level.
Glucagon hormone: Elevates the blood glucose level.

Exocrine function: secretes pancreatic enzymes

in the pancreatic juice which helps the digestion of fat.
The pancreatic juice is secreted through
the pancreatic duct which unites with the bile duct
and open together at the 2nd part of duodenum

Applied anatomy :
- Cancer head of pancreas
may obstruct the bile duct leading to jaundice
- Obstruction of pancreatic ducts by stones
leads to increased amylase enzyme