Normal Body 2011
GI Tract Exercises
Study Exercises. Review of the Elements of the Alimentary Tube.
On the following two pages is a chart or matrix of blank spaces. Each space is the
intersection of a horizontal row and a vertical column. The items listed to the left of the rows
and at the top of the columns are different regions of the gastro-intestinal tract. You are to fill
in each blank space with some item or items (i.e., cell type, tissue type) which is present in the
region listed as the row title (to the left), but not present (or less obvious) in the column title.
To get you started, one element of the matrix has been filled in (aside from the diagonals which
are, of course, blank): this entry says that one way of telling the lower esophagus from the
cardiac stomach is that the esophagus has stratified squamous epithelium. Obviously, many
elements of the matrix can be filled with numerous items; others may be difficult for you to fill
out. The more you can add to the table, the better you understand the gut tube - especially if
you retain this knowledge and integrate it into a logical framework.
One possible set (there are many) of appropriate entries is included for comparison with
your answers.
1
Normal Body 2011
CHART: DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF VARIOUS-
UPPER MIDDLE LOWER CARDIAC FUNDIC-CORPIC PYLORIC
ESOPHAGUS ESOPHAGUS ESOPHAGUS STOMACH STOMACH STOMACH
UPPER
ESOPHAGUS ---
MIDDLE
ESOPHAGUS ---
LOWER Stratified
ESOPHAGUS --- squamous
epithelium
CARDIAC
STOMACH ---
FUNDIC-
CORPIC
STOMACH ---
PYLORIC
STOMACH ---
DUODENUM
JEJUNUM
ILEUM
COLON
RECTUM
ANAL
CANAL
2
Normal Body 2011
REGIONS OF THE ALIMENTARY TUBE
DUODENUM JEJUNUM ILEUM COLON RECTUM ANAL CANAL
UPPER
ESOPHAGUS
MIDDLE
ESOPHAGUS
LOWER
ESOPHAGUS
CARDIAC
STOMACH
FUNDIC-
CORPIC
STOMACH
PYLORIC
STOMACH
DUODENUM
---
JEJUNUM
---
ILEUM
---
COLON
---
RECTUM
---
ANAL
--- CANAL
3
Normal Body 2011
CHART: DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF VARIOUS
UPPER MIDDLE LOWER CARDIAC FUNDIC-CORPIC PYLORIC
ESOPHAGUS ESOPHAGUS ESOPHAGUS STOMACH STOMACH STOMACH
UPPER esophageal striated stratified stratified stratified
ESOPHAGUS --- glands muscle squamous squamous squamous
epithelium epithelium epithelium
MIDDLE mixture of mixture of
ESOPHAGUS striated and --- striated and " " " " " "
smooth muscle
smooth muscle esophageal
LOWER in mus. ext. glands; some stratified
ESOPHAGUS some mucosal mucosal --- squamous " " " "
mucous glands mucous glands epithelium
glands
CARDIAC mucous surface mucous mucous convoluted, pits shallow,
STOMACH cells; pits surface cells surface cells --- mostly mucous glands more
and pits and pits cells sparse
FUNDIC- glands glands
CORPIC straight; straight;
STOMACH " " " " " " parietal & --- parietal &
chief cells chief cells
PYLORIC pits deep; pits deep;
STOMACH " " " " " " pyloric gland cells ---
sphincter? mostly mucous
DUODENUM villi, columnar villi, columnar villi, columnar microvilli; microvilli; microvilli;
epithelium epithelium epithelium goblet cells goblet cells goblet cells
JEJUNUM
" " " " " " " " " " " "
ILEUM
" " " " " " " " " " " "
COLON columnar columnar columnar straight crypts; crypts;
epithelium; epithelium; epithelium; crypts, goblet cells goblet cells
crypts crypts crypts goblet cells
crypts; crypts; crypts;
RECTUM columnar columnar columnar goblet cells, goblet cells, goblet cells,
epithelium; epithelium; epithelium; rectal rectal rectal
columns columns columns
keratinizing keratinizing keratinizing
ANAL stratified stratified stratified stratified stratified stratified
CANAL squamous squamous squamous squamous squamous squamous
epithelium epithelium epithelium epithelium epithelium epithelium
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS ONLY ONE
4
Normal Body 2011
REGIONS OF THE ALIMENTARY TUBE
DUODENUM JEJUNUM ILEUM COLON RECTUM ANAL CANAL
striated muscle
stratified stratified stratified stratified stratified in muscularis UPPER
squamous squamous squamous squamous squamous externa; ESOPHAGUS
epithelium epithelium epithelium epithelium epithelium muscularis muc.
muscularis muc.;
striated muscle MIDDLE
" " " " " " " " " " in muscularis ESOPHAGUS
externa
muscularis mucosa; LOWER
" " " " " " " " " " esophageal ESOPHAGUS
glands
epithelium has epithelium has epithelium has pits and glands, pits and glands, pits and glands, CARDIAC
only mucous only mucous only mucous mucous mucous mucous STOMACH
surface cells surface cells surface cells surface cells surface cells surface cells
FUNDIC-
CORPIC
" " " " " " " " " " " " STOMACH
PYLORIC
" " " " " " " " " " " " STOMACH
Brunner's Brunner's villi; villi; villi; DUODENUM
--- glands glands Brunner's Brunner's Brunner's
glands glands glands
tall plicae tall plicae villi; villi; villi; JEJUNUM
and villi --- and villi plicae plicae plicae
Peyer's Peyer's villi villi villi ILEUM
patches patches ---
taenia coli taenia coli taenia coli taenia coli; columnar COLON
--- deep crypts epithelium
rectal columns rectal columns rectal columns rectal columns columnar RECTUM
--- epithelium;
crypts
stratified stratified stratified stratified stratified ANAL
squamous squamous squamous squamous squamous --- CANAL
epithelium epithelium epithelium epithelium epithelium
OF MANY POSSIBLE SETS OF ANSWERS!
