DIGESTIVE SYSTEM: GROSS

ANATOMY.
L.H. Tembo
 OBJECTIVES.
• State parts of the digestive system
• Identify organs of the digestive system
• Locate organs of the digestive system
• Describe the gross structure of organs of the
digestive system
• Explain the arterial supply of fore-, mid- and
hindgut
Functions of the Digestion System
• Ingestion
– Taking food into mouth
• Secretion
– Release of water, acid, enzymes into lumen of GIT
• Mixing and propulsion
– Churning and propulsion of food through GIT
• Digestion
– Mechanical and chemical breakdown of food
• Absorption
– Movement of digested food from GIT into blood and lymph
• Defecation
– Elimination of feces from GIT
 DIGESTIVE SYSTEM.
• Gastrointestinal tract
– Tubular
– 9m long
– Mouth to anus
• Accessory organs
– Teeth
– Tongue
– Salivary glands
– Liver
– Gall bladder
– Pancreas
PARTS OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL
TRACT
• Oral (buccal) cavity
• Esophagus
• Stomach
• Small intestine
• Large intestine
• Anus
 ORAL CAVITY
• Oral (buccal) cavity
 Receives, masticates &
swallows food

• Oral orifice - opening of oral

cavity
• Fauces - opening between oral
cavity & pharynx

• Formed by cheeks, lips, hard &

soft palates & tongue
 PHARYNX
• About 13 cm long
• Posterior to mouth
• Common passage for
digestive & respiratory
systems
• Connects oral & nasal
cavities to esophagus &
trachea
 ESOPHAGUS
• Connect pharynx to stomach
• 25cm long
• Posterior to trachea
• Open into abdomen through
esophageal hiatus
• Esophagus leads to stomach
– Has lower esophageal
(gastroesophageal)
sphincter
• Prevent stomach content
from regurgitating into
esophagus
 STOMACH
• Location - upper left
quadrant of abdomen
• Most distensible part of the
GIT tract
• J-shaped continuous with
esophagus and small
intestine
• Functions
– Store food as it is
mechanichary churned with
gastric secretions
– Initiate protein digestion
– Carry limited absoprtion
– Move food into the small
intestines
 STOMACH
• Regions
– Cardiac
– Fundus
– Body
– Pyloric
STOMACH
 STOMACH
• Inner surface layer has
longitudinal folds
– Gastric Rugae
• Permit stomach
distension
SMALL INTESTINE
• About 3 m long
• Divided into
– Duodenum
– Jejunum
– Ileum
 DUODENUM
• C-shaped; about 25 cm long
• Extent: pyloric sphincter - duodenojejunal flexure
• Found close to abdominal dorsal wall except near
stomach
• Receive bile secretions and pancreatic secretions
through a common duct called hepatopancreatic
ampulla (ampulla of vater)
DUODENUM
 JEJUNUM
• About 1 m long
• Extent: duodenum -
ileum
• Lumen slightly larger
than ileum
• More internal folds
than ileum
 ILEUM

• Terminal portion
• About 2m long
• Joins cecum medially
through ileocecal
valve
 LARGE INTESTINES
• General features
• Extent: Ileocecal junction -
anus
• Length: About 1.5 m
• Parts:
 Cecum with vermiform
appendix
 Colon: ascending,
transverse, descending,
sigmoid
 Rectum & anal canal
 ASCENDING COLON
• About 15 cm long
• Ascends on right side from
cecum to right lobe of liver
• Turns to left as right colic
(hepatic) flexure
• Lies on dorsal wall along
right side of abdominal
wall
 TRANSVERSE COLON
• Length: About 50 cm
• Extent: Right colic to left
colic flexures
• Largest & most mobile part
of L intestine
More sup. & post. to right
colic flexure
• T. colon is variable in
position
 DESCENDING COLON
• Length: About 30 cm
• Extent: Left colic
(splenic) flexure into
left iliac fossa where it
is continuous with
sigmoid colon
• Smaller than ascending
colon
 SIGMOID COLON
• Length: About 40 cm
• Extent: Btwn
descending colon &
rectum
• S-shaped - Greek letter
sigma (S)
• Also called pelvic colon
 RECTUM
• 12 cm long
• Sup - continuous with
sigmoid colon at the
level of S3 -
rectosigmoid junction
• Inf - continuous with
anal canal
 ANAL CANAL
• Terminal part of GI tract - 4
cm long
• Anus - external opening of
anal canal
• Two sphincters guard the
anus
• External anal sphincter -
composed of skeletal
muscle
• Internal anal sphincter -
composed of smooth
muscle fibers
• Has anal canals, anal
columns & anal valves
 BLOOD SUPPLY
• Foregut
– Pharynx
– Esophagus
– Stomach
– Portion of duodenum
– Liver
– Pancreas
– Gall bladder
• Midgut
– Small intestine
– Part of colon
• Hindgut
– Colon
– Rectum
GOOD TIME

THANKS.