ANATOMY AND

PHYSIOLOGY
 The GI System

Consists of the oral structures,

esophagus, stomach, small
intestine, large intestine and
associated structures.
 
 Oral Structures

Include the lips, teeth, gingivae

and oral mucosa, tongue, hard
palate, soft palate, pharynx and
salivary glands.
 
 The esophagus 

Is a muscular tube extending

from the pharynx to the stomach.
 
Esophageal openings include:

The upper esophageal sphincter

At the cricopharyngeal muscle. During
swallowing the upper esophageal
sphincter opens so the bolus can pass
into the esophagus. A secondary role of
the UES is to reduce backflow from the
esophagus into the pharynx.
The lower esophageal sphincter

The lower esophageal
sphincter (LES),or cardiac
sphincter, which normally remains
closed and opens only to pass food
into the stomach.
The Stomach 
Is a muscular pouch situated in the
upper abdomen under the liver and
diaphragm. Te stomach consists of
three anatomic areas: the fundus,
body (i.e., corpus), and antrum (i.e.,
pylorus)
 Sphincters

The lower esophageal

sphincter (LES) allows food to enter
the stomach and prevents reflux into
the esophagus. The pyloric sphincter
regulates flow of stomach contents
(chyme) into the duodenum.
 
The small intestine

A coiled tube extends from the

pyloric sphincter to the ileocecal
valve at the large intestine.
Sections of the small intestine
include the duodenum, jejunum and
ileum
 The large intestine
Is a shorter, wider tube beginning at the ileocecal
valve and ending at the anus. The large intestine
consists of three sections:

 The cecum is a blind pouch that extends from the

ileocecal valve to the vermiform appendix.
  The colon, which is the main portion of the large
intestine, is divided into four anatomic sections:
ascending, transverse, descending and sigmoid.
 The rectum extends from the sigmoid colon to the
anus.
 
 The ileocecal valve
 
Prevents the return of feces from the
cecum into the small intestine and
lies at the upper border of
the cecum.
 The appendix

This collects lymphoid tissues,

arises from the cecum.
 
 The GI tract is composed of five layers.

1. An inner mucosal layer lubricates and protects

the inner surface of the alimentary canal.
2. A sub mucosal layer is responsible for secreting
digestive enzymes.
3. A layer of circular smooth muscle fibers is
responsible for movement of the GI tract.
4. A layer of longitudinal smooth muscle fibers also
facilitates movement of the GI tract.
5. The peritoneum, an outer serosal layer, covers
the entire abdomen and is composed of
the parietal and visceral layers.
The GI system performs two major
body functions: digestion and
elimination.
1. Digestion begins in the mouth with chewing and the action of
ptyalin, an enzyme contained in saliva that breaks down starch.
2. Swallowed food passes through the esophagus to the stomach,
where digestion continues by several processes.
a. Secretion of gastric juice, containing hydrochloric acid and the
enzymes pepsin and lipase ( and renin in infants)
b. Mixing and churning through peristaltic action
3. From the pylorus, the mixed stomach contents (i.e. chyme) pass
into the duodenum through the pyloric valve.
4. In the small intestine, food digestion is completed, and most
nutrient absorption occurs. Digestion results from the action of
numerous pancreatic and intestinal enzymes (e.g., trypsin, lipase,
amylase, lactase, maltase, sucrase and bile)
 Elimination
Elimination of waste products
through defacation occurs in the
large intestines and rectum. In
the large intestine, the cecum and
ascending colon absorb water and
electrolytes from the now completely
digested material. The rectum stores
feces for elimination.