tunica muscularis; circular/longitudinal muscle of esophagus
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Introduction
A double muscular layer of the esophageal wall, inner circular & outer longitudinal. Composed of:
- skeletal muscle fibers in the upper part of the esophagus & lower rectum
- smooth muscle throughout the rest of the tract
The fibers of the circular layer are thickened, forming sphincters that control the movement of food from one region of the digestive tract to another.
More general terms
- esophagus
- tunica
- skeletal muscle (voluntary muscle)
- smooth muscle (unstriated/unstriped/visceral muscle)
Additional terms
References
- ↑ Stedman's Medical Dictionary 27th ed, Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999.
- ↑ Human Anatomy and Physiology, Alexander P Spence & Elliot B. Mason, The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company, Inc, 1979.
- ↑ Grant's Atlas of Anatomy, 10th edition, AMR Agur & MJ Lee (eds), Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, PA 1999.