The Digestive System  The digestive system has been developed to provide a

means by which food is taken into the body and broken

down into simple molecules that can be absorbed by the
 Divisions of the Digestive system body.
 The Digestive tract, Tube or Alimentary tract  6 types of substances required to meet bodily
 Mouth requirements.
 Pharynx  Carbohydrates
 Esophagus  Fats or Lipids  Mineral salts
 Stomach  Proteins  Vitamins
 Small Intestine
 Water
 Large Intestine
 Abdominal Accessory Organs of Digestion
 Terms Applied to Digestive Function
 Pancreas
 Ingestion – is the taking into the mouth of food.
 Liver
 Gall bladder and bile ducts  Mastication – chewing
 Deglutition – swallowing
 Digestion – is the breaking up of complex food molecules
into small simple molecules that can pass through living
membranes
 Enzymes break up the three foods.
 Proteins to amino acids
 Fat(lipids) to fatty acids and glycerine
 Carbohydrates to glucose, fructose and
galactose
 Absorption – the passage of digested food products into
blood or lymph capillaries.
 Uptake of products from the intestine
 Passing of dissolved substances from blood
capillaries into intercellular spaces and from
these to any body cells.
  Habitus or body build
 Weight
 Position
 Phase of Respiration
 State of Fullness
 Surface Divisions of the Abdomen
 Division into 4 quadrants
 RUQ  LUQ
 RLQ  LLQ
 Division into 9 regions
 Upper
o Right hypochondriac region
o Epigastric region
o Left hypochondriac region
 Middle
o Right lumbar region
o Umbilical region
o Left lumbar region
 Lower
o Right iliac region
o Hypogastric region
o Left iliac region
 Definitions of Some Basic Terms
 Lumen – is the cavity within any hollow organ
 Peritoneum – the membrane that lines the abdominal
and pelvic cavities
 Parietal peritoneum – is the lining of the
abdominal and pelvic cavities. It also forms
the mesentery of the intestine.
 Visceral peritoneum – forms the outer
covering membrane of most abdominal and
pelvic organ.
 Peritoneal cavity – the potential space
between the visceral peritoneum covering
the organs and the parietal peritoneum.
 Mesentery – is a double layer of peritoneum that
extends from the parietal peritoneum on the posterior
abdominal wall to the small intestine.
 Mesocolon – is a similar double layer of the parietal
peritoneum between some parts of the large intestine
and the posterior abdominal wall.
 Omentum – is a double layer of peritoneum that
extends between two organs.
 Greater omentum – is a fold of peritoneum that extends
from the lower margin of the stomach to the transverse
colon.
 Lesser omentum – is a fold of peritoneum between the
stomach and the liver.
 Sphincter – is a thickened ring of the circular layer of
visceral muscle that surrounds the opening of a hollow
organ.
 Peristalsis – is a contraction wave that passes along the
dilatation.
 Segmentation – is a contraction of a small segment of
bowel that divides the contents into two parts.
  Stenosis – the narrowing of the lumen of a hollow  The Mouth
organ.  Vestibule – is the space between the cheeks and the
 Atresia – absence of lumen or canal in a hollow organ lips on its outer side and the teeth and gums on the
that normally has one. inner side.
 Cavity – is the hollow space, the receiving
chamber of the digestive tract.
 The Structures of Walls of Digestive Tract  Hard palate – consist of palatine bones. Floor
 Serous layer – visceral layer of peritoneum that covers most of the nasal cavities.
abdominal and pelvic organs.  Soft palate - contains no bone but is a fold
 Muscular layer – located under the serous covering consists epithelium at the posterior margin of hard
in most parts of two layers of visceral muscle, an outer palate
longitudinal muscle and an inner circular layer.  Fauces – space between the mouth and the
 Submuscular layer – a layer of loose (areolar) connective oral pharynx.
tissue.  Palatoglossal arch – extends from the soft
 Mucous coat – (mucosa) – or lining membrane of an organ palate to the base of the tongue on either
is a layer of epithelium adjacent to the lumen or cavity. side.
 Palatopharyngeal arch – reaches from the
soft palate to the side wall of the pharynx on
 Parts of Each Division
either side.
 Mouth  Pharynx  The teeth – bite, chew it to produce smaller
 Vestibule  Nasal pharynx particles more accessible to the digestive
 Teeth  Oral pharynx enzymes.
 Tongue  Laryngeal pharynx  The tongue – muscular organ covered by
 Salivary glands  Esophagus epithelium with small projections on the upper
 Parotid  Stomach surface.
 Submandibular  Fundus
 Sublingual  Body
 Pyloric part
 Pylorus

 Parts of Each Division

  Salivary glands – 3 pairs; they are alveolar glands
and secrete saliva, a watery mucous fluid
containing the enzyme ptyalin. (digest
carbohydrates)
o Parotid gland – lies on the side of the face
in front of and below the opening of the
ear.
 Parotid duct – Stensen’s Duct
o Submandibular gland – lies under the floor
of the mouth on each side.
 Submandibular duct – Wharton’s
Duct
o Subligual gland – lies in the floor of the
mouth, anterior to the submandibular.
 Sublingual duct – (several)
Duct of Rivinus
 Pharynx – 12.5 cm (5inches) long
 Esophagus – or gullet is a tube about 25 cm (10 inches) in
length and extends from the laryngeal part of the pharynx
to the stomach.
 Stomach – a collapsible reservoir of food.
 2 openings – cardiac and pyloric
 Two sphincters – cardiac and pyloric
 An angular notch
 2 curvatures – greater and lesser
 3 parts – fundus, body, pyloric part
 Stomach
 Cardiac orifice – an opening between the lower end of the
esophagus and the upper stomach.
 Pyloric orifice – is an opening in the lower end of the
stomach, between it and the duodenal part of the small
intestine.
 Cardiac sphincter – is located at the cardiac end of the
stomach. It prevents regurgitation of the stomach contents
into the esophagus.
 Pyloric sphincter – located at the pyloric end of the stomach
in the pylorus. It keeps the opening closed except for
relaxation to allow the stomach contents to enter the
duodenum.
 The lesser curvature – short right curved border that
extends from the cardiac to the pyloric openings of the
stomach.
 The greater curvature – is much longer left curved border of
the stomach.
 Angular notch – (incisura angularis) is a notch on the lower
part of the lesser curvature of the stomach where it bends
sharply to the right.
 3 parts
 Fundus – part that lies above the cardiac opening
 Body – part between the cardiac opening and
the angular notch
 Pyloric part – part between the angular notch
and the pyloric opening
 Pylorus – is a constricted area between the pyloric part of
the stomach and the first or superior part of the duodenum.
 Has 4 coverings.
 Rugae or gastric folds – are folds lining
membrane that usually run longitudinally.
 Gastric glands – simple tubular glands in the
mucosal layer of the stomach.

 Parts of Each Division
 Small intestine
 Duodenum
o Superior part (cap)
o Descending part
o Horizontal part
o Ascending part
 Jejunum
 Ileum
 Large intestine
 Cecum and appendix
 Ascending colon
 Right colic flexure (hepatic)
 Transverse colon
 Left colic flexure (splenic)
 Descending colon
 Sigmoid colon (pelvic) Small intestine
 Small intestine
 Has smaller lumen than the large intestine.
 Single continuous tube but in order to accommodate
to the abdomen it is coiled upon itself repeatedly.
 7 m (23 ft) in length
 Duodenum – 25 cm (10 in) of the small intestine form a loop
in the upper right abdomen.
 Superior duodenum – the first part, passes up and to
right from the pyloric opening of the stomach. It
includes the duodenal cap or bulb.
 Descending duodenum – passes downwards from
the superior part, and ends by joining the horizontal
part. The common bile duct opens into it from the
back.
 Horizontal duodenum – extends to the left from the
descending part.
 Ascending duodenum – passes up from the
horizontal part, and joins the jejunum posterior to
the stomach, close to the angular notch.
 Jejunum – second part of the small intestine, forms about
two-fifths of the remaining part. About 2.7 m (9 ft) in length.
It is quite mobile.
 Ileum – the 3rd part of the small intestine forms the
remaining three-fifths of the small intestine and is about 3.9
 Rectum m (13 ft) long.
 Anal canal  Ileocecal opening – is the opening between the
 Anus terminal part of the ileum and cecum.
 Ileocecal sphincter of valve – is a thickened layer of
circular muscle at the ileocecal opening.
 Characteristic Features of Small Intestine
 Circular folds or plicae circulares – are folds in the lining
membrane of the small intestine that encircle its lumen.
 Villi – are very minute microscopic fingerlike projections of
the mucosal lining of the small intestine that cover the
circular folds and the hollows among them.
 Aggregated lymph follicles (Peyer’s Patches) – are
collections of lymphatic tissue in the mucosa of the small
intestine.
 Solitary lymph follicles (nodules) – are single follicles of
lymphatic tissue, and are also found in the lining of the
small intestine.
 Intestinal glands – lie in the mucosa in the intervals
between the bases of the villi. They are tubular glands.
 Large Intestine
 The large intestine is the final division of the digestive
tube. About 1.5 m (5 ft) in length.
 Cecum – the part of the large intestine that forms a
 Characteristic Features of Large Intestine
pouch below the ileocecal opening.
 Appendix – an appendage of the cecum. Hollow
pencil-like structure that is attached to the blind
end of the cecum.
 Ascending colon – passes upwards from the cecum
to the inferior surface of the liver along the right
lateral abdomen.
 Right colic flexure or hepatic flexure – a bend of the
colon to the left under the right liver margin.
 Transverse colon – passes across the upper
abdomen from the right colic flexure to the
spleen in the upper left abdomen.
 Left colic flexure or splenic flexure – is a bend downwards in
the colon where the transverse colon ends.
 Descending colon – externs down from the left colic flexure
to the brim of the pelvis in the left lateral abdomen.
 Sigmoid colon or pelvic colon – is the “S” shaped curved
part of the distal colon that extends from the descending
colon at the pelvic brim to the rectum.
 Rectum – 4 to 5 inches, begins anterior to the sacrum at
about 3rd sacral segment.
 Anal canal – is the distal 2.5 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 in) of the
digestive tube.
 Internal anal sphincter – encircles the anal canal. It is due to
a thickening of the circular layer of the visceral muscle. It
keeps the lumen of the canal closed.
 External anal sphincter – a second safeguard of skeletal
muscle that surrounds the canal.
 Anus – is the openiing at the lower end of the anal canal.
 Mesocolon – 2 layers of fold of peritoneum surrounding the
large intestine.
 Teniae coli – three bands of muscle fibers that pass
lengthwise along the length of the large intestine. Cause
puckering of the colon.
 Haustra – These are saclike pouches in the wall of the
large intestine resulting from puckering due to teniae
coli.
 Semilunar folds – are the folds visible on the inner
surface of the large intestine that pass part way around
the intestine between haustra.
 Mucous gland – in the lining membrane secrete mucus
into the large intestine.
 Abdominal Accessory Digestive Organs  Liver
 Pancreas o (G) Hepar; the largest solid organ in the body,
o (G) pankreas = sweetbread and may weigh three pounds.
o A long tapering gland that lies transversely in  Porta Hepatis (Gate of Liver) or transverse fissure - is
the upper posterior abdomen behind the a slit on the inferior surface of the right lobe by which
stomach. the portal vein, hepatic artery, lymphatics, and nerves
 Head – large, right, enter the liver substance.
bluntly rounded end  Portal vein – draining the stomach, intestine,
that lies in the curve of pancreas and spleen enters the liver. It breaks up into
duodenum. smaller branches and these end in sinusoids or
 Body – long tapering minute blood spaces within the liver.
part extending to the  Hepatic artery – a branch of the celiac trunk, also
left behind the enters the liver beside the portal vein.
stomach.  Three hepatic veins – beginning as minute central
 Tail – pointed left end veins in each liver lobule, collect blood from the
that reaches the sinusoids and hepatic capillaries, and empty into the
adjacent splenic inferior vena cava behind the liver.
border.  Composed of incomplete lobes, a large right, a smaller
left, and a small quadrate and caudate lobes.
 Central or intralobular vein
o 3 hepatic veins
 Pancreatic duct (Duct of Wirsung) – is a hollow tube
that extends from the tail through the body and head  Canaliculi – minute bile ducts
to join the common bile duct.
o Pancreatic Juice – a mixture of digestive
enzymes, is secreted by the pancreatic
lobules and passes through the pancreatic
duct.
 Mixed Gland – the pancreas is a dual or mixed gland
consisting of an exocrine and an endocrine part.
 Island (Islets) of Langerhans are nests of cells scattered
throughout the pancreas and form the endocrine part.
o Insulin – a hormone that is absorbed directly
into blood capillaries.
  Gall bladder and Bile ducts
 Gallbladder – hollow pear shaped organ that lies
against a depression on the inferior surface of the
liver, in the upper right anterior abdomen. It may
be from 5 to 10.8 cm or 2 to 4.5 inches in length.
 Right and Left hepatic ducts – collects bile from the
lobes of the liver and convey it to the common
hepatic duct outside of the liver.
 Common hepatic duct – formed by the union of
the right and left hepatic duct.
 Cystic duct – is a hollow tube that passes from the
gall bladder to join the common hepatic duct.
 Common hepatic duct – choledochus or bile duct,
is formed in upper right posterior abdomen by the
union of the common hepatic and cystic duct.
 Hepatopancreatic ampulla (ampulla Vater)
o Hepatopancreatic Sphincter (sphincter of
Oddi)
Hormones Secreted by Digestive Organs
Gastrin – hormone secreted by pyloric glands, absorbed by blood,
carried to the glands of the body and fundus of the stomach, to
stimulate the secretion of gastric juice by these glands.
Secretin and pancreozymin – hormones secreted by the mucosa of
the small intestine, carried by blood to the pancreas and liver.
Cholecystokinin – hormone secreted by the mucosa of the small
intestine and carried by blood to the gall bladder and bile ducts.
 Blood Vessels of the Abdominal Digestive
Organs
 Arteries
 Celiac Trunk
o Left gastric – to esophagus and stomach
o Splenic – to pancreas and spleen
o Common hepatic – to liver, GB, pancreas
and duodenum
 Superior mesenteric artery – small intestine and
proximal half of large intestine
 Inferior mesenteric artery – to distal half of large
intestine
 Veins
 Inferior mesenteric vein – from the distal half of
large intestine, joins the splenic vein
 Superior mesenteric vein – from proximal half of
large intestine and small intestine.
 Splenic vein – from the spleen, pancreas and
stomach, also joined by inferior mesenteric vein.
 Portal vein – formed by the union of the superior
mesenteric vein and splenic veins enters the liver
and divides into many capillaries (sinusoids).
These unite to form the hepatic veins which
empties into the inferior vena cava.
 Cystic vein – from GB, coronary and pyloric veins
 Enzymes, Hormones and Other Secretions Listed
 Salivary glands – saliva
 Salivary amylase or ptyalin, enzyme for starch
 Stomach – gastric juice, etc.
 Pepsinogen + hydrochloric acid = pepsin
 Rennin – enzyme for milk
 Gastrin – a hormone
 Intrinsic factor – Vit. B12 absorption
 Small intestine – intestinal juice, etc.
 Erepsin – a protease enzyme – proteins
 Sucrase, maltase, lactase – enzymes for sugars
 Enterokinase – to combine with trypsinogen
 Secretin and pancreozymin
 Cholecystokinin
 Large intestine
 Mucus
 Bacterial products
 Pancreas – pancreatic juice, etc.
 Trypsinogen + enterokinase = trypsin, protease
 Pancreatic amylase – carbohydrates
 Pancreatic lipase – fats
 Insulin – a hormone for sugar metabolism
 Functions
 Mouth – concerned with the intake, chewing and
swallowing of food and the mixing of it with saliva.
 Pharynx – passage that receives food from the mouth, and
passes it on into the esophagus by the act of swallowing.
 Esophagus – passage way to convey food through the chest
from the pharynx to the stomach.
 Stomach – reservoir for food, and a mixing bowl and churns
food to produce a semiliquid mixture called chyme.
 Small intestine – digestion and absorption
 Large intestine – Water absorption
 Liver
o It forms and secretes bile.
o Converts glucose into glycogen and store it. It will be
releases when needed.
o Manufactures blood proteins, fibrinogen, albumin,
globulin, as well as prothrombin and heparin.
o Excessive amino acids are broken up by liver cells
into carbohydrates and urea.
o Breaks down worn out red blood cells, producing bile
pigments.
o Stores some vitamins, including vit. B12.
o It renders inactive toxic products of bacterial action
formed in the large intestine.
o Forms reticuloendothelial cells –phagocytes.
 Gall bladder
o Stores bile, concentrates bile, and expels it as
required by digestion.
 Bile
 Emulsifies fat.
  Promotes absorption of vitamin K from the
intestine
 Congenital Anomalies Digestive Organs
 Cleft Palate – an opening in the roof of the mouth, so that  Some Pathological Terms
fluids or food pass into the nasal cavities from the mouth.  -itis – an inflammation
 Atresia of esophagus – the esophagus is closed at some  Appendicitis  Hepatitis
point, and may communicate with the trachea.  Cholecystitis  Medianstinitis
 Hypertrophic pyloric stenosis – a narrowing of the pyloric  Colitis  Pancreatitis
part of the stomach causing some obstruction to the  Duodenitis  Perdiverticulitis
passage of food into the duodenum.  Diverticulitis  Peritonitis
 Hernia or rupture – protrusion of an organ either through a  Enteritis  Regional enteritis
weak part of the wall, or where a wall has not formed.  Esophagitis  Appendiceal abscess
 Hiatal Hernia – through the esophageal opening (hiatus) of
the diaphragm.
 Umbilical hernia – at the umbilicus or navel
 Some Pathological Terms
 Inguinal hernia – in the groin
 Calculi – stones that may form in any part of the biliary
 Imperforate anus – absence of an opening at the anus
system.
 Interposition – the right colic flexure lies between the liver
 Cholelithiasis – calculi in the GB.
and diaphragm
 Diverticula – pouchlike protrusions of the wall of an organ.
 Transposition (situs inversus) – organs lie in the opposite
o Pulsion diverticulum – a pushing outwards of the
side of the body to their normal position/
small saclike part.
 Meckel’s diverticulum – a diverticulum of ileum close to the
o Traction diverticulum – one caused by pulling of
ileocecal junction.
the wall from outside, by scar tissue about lymph
nodes,etc.
 A fissure – a narrow slit or crack such as may occur about
the anus
 Fistula – an opening between 2 organs where no opening
normally exists
 Intussusception – a telescoping of one part of the intestine
into the part beyond it.
  Mesenteric thrombosis – a thrombus in one of the  Cholecystography
mesenteric arteries or their branches.  Cholangiography
 Volvulus – a twisting of a loop of intestine upon itself.
 Jaundice – a deposition of bile in body tissue
 Terms Used to Define Operations
 Cholecystectomy – removal of the GB
 Cholecystotomy – a cutting into the GB
 Cholecystduodenostomy – making an opening
between the GB and duodenum, and sewing the cut
edges together.
 Enterocolostomy – an opening between the small and
large intestines in order to bypass some obstruction.
 Gastrectomy – removal of stomach
 Gastroenterostomy – an opening made between the
stomach and small intestine, usually into the upper
jejunum to allow food to bypass the duodenum.
 Colostomy – an opening made into some part of the
large intestine to bypass some obstruction.
 Colectomy – removal of the colon

 Radiography
 Opaque Media