The Œsophagus

The œsophagus is relatively wide and dilatable except at its origin. The constriction at its origin is termed the isthmus œsophagi. The cardiac end is slightly dilated; it joins the stomach under the tenth or eleventh thoracic vertebra, slightly to the left of the median plane. The muscular tissue is striated and consists mainly of two layers of spiral fibers which cross each other; near the cardia, however, the fibers are longitudinal and circular. There are mucous glands and lymph glands in the submucosa throughout.