Lab 19 Esophagus and Stomache: 1) Index 2) Introduction 3) Things to Identify 4) Upper Esophagus 5) Middle Esophagus 6) Lower Esophagus 7) Cardiac Stomach 8) Fundic Stomach 9) Pyloric Stomach 10) Stomach-Duodenal Junction 11) Comparison of Structures 12) Practical

 

Cardiac Stomach

 

# 111 - Stomach, cardia, human, 1.5 mm, h-e

# 214 - Stomach, combination, c.s., h-e

 

Identify the four layers of the stomach wall. Although the tissue may not have been well fixed and there may have been postmortem degeneration of the mucosa, the characteristic features of this region have been retained. Find an area that shows surface mucous cells and the gastric pits. The stomach does not have goblet cells; instead surface mucous cells release mucus to protect its mucosa.

Note the ratio of gastric pit to gastric gland and observe that the pits are relatively open in this region. In thiscardiac portion of the stomach, the gastric glands and gastric pits should be of equal lengths (1:1 ratio of pit to gland). The gastric glands here are slightly coiled, shallow, and secrete mucus (similar to the cardiac glands of the esophagus).

Find the thick muscularis mucosae. This serves as a boundary between the mucosa and the submucosa. Are there any glands in the submucosa of the stomach?

REFERENCES: Gartner, p. 282, Fig. 1 DiFiore, p. 181, Fig. 12-5 Ross, p. 444 - 445, 476 - 477, 478 - 483 Wheater, p. 252, Fig. 14.5 (esophageal -gastric junction)

 

This is a low power image of the Cardiac portion of the Stomach. The red arrow is showing the Mucosa, the green arrow is showing the Submucosa while the white arrow is outlining the Muscularis Externa. Note the thick Muscularis Mucosa indicated by the yellow arrow. Characteristic of the stomach is the presence of Gastric pits (black arrows) and Gastric Glands indicated by the blue arrows. An important characteristic that helps identify the cardiac stomach is that the GASTRIC PITS ARE THE SAME LENGTH AS THE GASTRIC GLANDS. You can see that in this image the area of the mucosa that the pits take up, is the same amount of area that the glands take up.

Black arrow - Gastric Pits

Blue arrows - Gastric Glands

Red arrow - Mucosa

Yellow arrow - Muscularis Mucosa

Green arrow - Submucosa

White arrow - Muscularis Externa

 

Here is another look at the Gastric Pits (black arrows) and the Gastric Glands (blue arrows) of the Cardiac stomach. The Gastric pits are lined by Mucous Cells, NOT GOBLET CELLS. These cells secrete the mucous that creates an entire layer of protective mucous that shields the mucosa of the stomach from all the acidic and hydrolytic chemicals in the lumen of the stomach.

Blue arrow - Gastric Glands

Black arrow - Gastric Pits

 

 

Here is a high power image of the Mucous cells (blue arrow) that line the Gastric Pits indicated by the black arrows. It is very easy to make the mistake to call these cells Goblet cells, but it is important to remember that there are NO GOBLET CELLS IN THE STOMACH, only mucous cells. You also get a closer look at the Gastric Glands (red arrows) which is where all the cells that release the acids and enzymes reside.

Blue arrows - Mucous Cells

Black arrows - Gastric Pits

Red arrow - Gastric Glands

 

 

 

 

 

Cardiac Stomach

Gastric Pits & Glands

Mucous Cells of Gastric Pit