Abstract
The esophagus is a flattened muscular tube, which is about 22 cm in length. It connects the pharynx to the stomach, extending from the level of the sixth cervical to the 11th thoracic vertebra. It has two high-pressure zones called upper esophageal sphincter (UES) and lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which prevent reflux from the esophagus into the pharynx and from the stomach to the esophagus, respectively. Spanning three anatomic regions, the esophagus is topographically divided into cervical, thoracic, and abdominal parts, which has unique features and relations with surrounding structures. Although essentially a midline structure, the esophagus deviates slightly to the left in the neck, to the right in the thorax, and curves to the left again as it passes through the hiatus in the diaphragm.
The esophagus joins the stomach at the esophagogastric junction (EGJ). Although, the term “esophagogastric junction” implies a transition from the esophagus to the stomach, controversy exists about its precise location, and the EGJ indicates a complex of structures which may be defined differently by the surgeon, the anatomist, the radiologist, and the endoscopist.
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Di Leo, A., Zanoni, A., Giacopuzzi, S., Ricci, F., de Manzoni, G. (2017). Surgical Anatomy of the Esophagus and Esophagogastric Junction. In: Giacopuzzi, S., Zanoni, A., de Manzoni, G. (eds) Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagogastric Junction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28776-8_25
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28776-8_25
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