Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Gastrointestinal Tract

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Color Atlas of Human Fetal and Neonatal Histology

Abstract

The gastrointestinal tract is divided into primary segments (from rostral to caudal): the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. The primary segments are divided into secondary segments (from rostral to caudal): the proximal, middle, and distal parts of the esophagus; the cardia, fundus, body, and antrum or pylorus of the stomach; the duodenum (with its first, second, third, and fourth parts), jejunum, and ileum of the small intestine; and the cecum, appendix, ascending, transverse, descending, sigmoid, rectum, and anal canal segments of the large intestine. The histologic junctions between the primary segments may be abrupt, but those between the secondary segments are gradual transition zones. Sphincters and valves at junctions of primary segments regulate forward propulsion and prevent retrograde flow of the contents. Although the general architecture of the gastrointestinal tract is established in embryonic life, the layers of the wall continue to develop during fetal life. Thus, the histology of the gastrointestinal tract is characterized by numerous changes in the fetal period, which are highlighted in this chapter.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 189.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. O’Rahilly R. The timing and sequence of events in the development of the human digestive system and associated structures during the embryonic period proper. Anat Embryol (Berl). 1978;153:123–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Lewis F. The early development of the entodermal tract and the formation of its subdivisions. In: Keibel F, Mall FP, editors. Human embryology. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott; 1912. p. 295–334.

    Google Scholar 

  3. O’Rahilly R, Muller F. Developmental stages in human embryos. Washington, DC: The Carnegie Institution of Washington; 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Sembra R, Tanaka O, Tanimura T. The digestive tract. In: Nishimura H, editor. Atlas of prenatal histology. Tokyo: Igaku-Shoin; 1983. p. 193–225.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Moxey PC, Trier JS. Endocrine cells in the human fetal small intestine. Cell Tissue Res. 1977;183:33–50.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Sjolund K, Sanden G, Hakanson R, Sundler F. Endocrine cells in human intestine: an immunocytochemical study. Gastroenterology. 1983;85:1120–30.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Chan OTM, Chiles L, Levy M, Zhai J, Yerian LM, Xu H, et al. Smoothelin expression in the gastrointestinal tract: implication in colonic inertia. Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol. 2013;21:452–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Montani M, Thiesler T, Kristiansen G. Smoothelin is a specific and robust marker for distinction of muscularis propria and muscularis mucosae in the gastrointestinal tract. Histopathology. 2010;57:244–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Lewis F. The development of the esophagus. In: Keibel F, Mall FP, editors. Human embryology. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott; 1912. p. 355–68.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Lewis F. Development of the stomach. In: Keibel F, Mall FP, editors. Human embryology. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott; 1912. p. 368–81.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Lewis F. Development of the small intestine. In: Keibel F, Mall FP, editors. Human embryology. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott; 1912. p. 381–93.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Lewis F. Development of the large intestine. In: Keibel F, Mall FP, editors. Human embryology. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott; 1912. p. 393–9.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Huff D. Developmental anatomy and anomalies of the gastrointestinal tract, with involvement in major malformative syndromes. In: Russo P, Ruchelli E, Piccoli DA, editors. Pathology of pediatric gastrointestinal and liver disease. New York: Springer; 2004. p. 3–36.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  14. O’Rahilly R, Muller F. Human embryology & teratology. 3rd ed. New York: Wiley-Liss; 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Fu M, Tam PK, Sham MH, Lui VC. Embryonic development of the ganglion plexuses and the concentric layer structure of human gut: a topographical study. Anat Embryol (Berl). 2004;208:33–41.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Wallace AS, Burns AJ. Development of the enteric nervous system, smooth muscle and interstitial cells of Cajal in the human gastrointestinal tract. Cell Tissue Res. 2005;319:367–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Wester T, Eriksson L, Olsson Y, Olsen L. Interstitial cells of Cajal in the human fetal small bowel as shown by c-kit immunohistochemistry. Gut. 1999;44:65–71.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Min KW, Sook Seo I. Interstitial cells of Cajal in the human small intestine: immunochemical and ultrastructural study. Ultrastruct Pathol. 2003;27:67–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Sundler F, Böttcher G, Ekblad E, Håkanson R. The neuroendocrine system of the gut. Acta Oncol. 1989;28:303–14.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Carr NJ, Sobin LH. Neuroendocrine tumors of the appendix. Semin Diagn Pathol. 2004;21:108–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Spencer J, MacDonald TT, Finn T, Isaacson PG. The development of gut associated lymphoid tissue in the terminal ileum of fetal human intestine. Clin Exp Immunol. 1986;64:536–43.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Otani H, Yoneyama T, Hashimoto R, Hatta T, Tanaka O. Ultrastructure of the developing stomach in human embryos. Anat Embryol (Berl). 1993;187:145–51.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Zhou H, Greco MA, Daum F, Kahn E. Origin of cardiac mucosa: ontogenic consideration. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2001;4:358–63.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. De Hertogh G, Van Eyken P, Ectors N, Geboes K. On the origin of cardiac mucosa: a histological and immunohistochemical study of cytokeratin expression patterns in the developing esophagogastric junction region and stomach. World J Gastroenterol. 2005;11:4490–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Dikov DI, Auriault ML, Boivin JF, Sarafian VS, Papadimitriou JC. Hyaline globules (thanatosomes) in gastrointestinal epithelium: pathophysiologic correlations. Am J Clin Pathol. 2007;127:792–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Kobayashi S, Iwanaga T, Fujita T. Segi’s cap: huge aggregation of basal-granulated cells discovered by Segi (1935) on the intestinal villi of the human fetus. Arch Histol Jpn. 1980;43:79–83.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Carreon CK, Ruchelli ED, Mihok C, Huff DS. Cystic crypt changes in midgestational human vermiform appendix: an unrecognized transient histologic feature. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2019 May 24:1093526619853180. https://doi.org/10.1177/1093526619853180. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 31126217.

  28. Mills SE. Histology for pathologists. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2012.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

The authors thank Dr. Tricia R. Bhatti from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, for invaluable assistance in selecting microscopic slides for photography, taking photographs, and editing the original manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Dale S. Huff & Chrystalle Katte Carreon

Authors
  1. Dale S. Huff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Chrystalle Katte Carreon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chrystalle Katte Carreon .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, IL, USA

    Linda M. Ernst

  2. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Eduardo D. Ruchelli

  3. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Chrystalle Katte Carreon

  4. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Dale S. Huff

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Huff, D.S., Carreon, C.K. (2019). Gastrointestinal Tract. In: Ernst, L., Ruchelli, E., Carreon, C., Huff, D. (eds) Color Atlas of Human Fetal and Neonatal Histology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11425-1_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11425-1_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-11424-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-11425-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation