Muscular bag fixed at both ends with great size variability.
Divided into arbitrary sections (Pl 258):
Cardia (most fixed) where
oesophagus enters; T10 level, 2.5cm L of midline, 40cm
from teeth; interface with oesophagus mucosa is
irregular, extends 1-2cm into oesophagus (‘Z-line)
- ie chances from mucus / glands to squamous
epithelium.
Fundus projects above level of entry of oesophagus in contact with diaphragm (air inside)
Body (ends on lesser curve arbitrarily at a line from where angular notch / incisura, seen in vivo where crow’s foot fans out ® 45° line downwards to greater curve)
Antrum and pylorus
Pyloric
canal =
duodenal junction; to R of midline at L1 level; thickened as pyloric
sphincter marked by pre-pyloric vein
of Mayo; on head/neck of pancreas.
Mesentery
Fetal stomach is a ventral
and dorsal mesentery; differential rotation ledas to
ventral forming the lesser omentum; splits to enclose
stomach.
Dorsal mesentery passes to gastrosplenic ligament and
gastrocolic omentum / greater omentum, including
anterior layer over transverse mesocolon.
- remove the greater omentum to take gastric nodes;.
Stomach overlies lesser sac, but peritoneum leaves
fundus variably early, leaving part of it 'bare'
Body mainly parietal & chief cells, antrum mainly G cells (make gastrin) but tongue of antral mucosa extends up lesser curve variable distance.
Outer longitudinal coat & inner circular/oblique coat completely invest stomach. Thickest in antrum.
-
reinforced by innermost oblique, loops
over fundus (thick at notch) to maintain acute angle of
His; clasp fibres play a role in lower GOS.
Complex structure
Circular muscle of distal antrum thickens to form 2
loops: proximal
and distal pyloric sphincters.
As well, they contain another sheet of circular muscle
between them
At lesser curve, the sphincters themselves fuse to form
a muscular knob = “pyloric torus”; regarded as primary
functional pylorus.
Pyloromyotomy and pyloroplasty (open and sew
transversely) attenuate this function.
Mainly coeliac axis; some supply proximally from aorta via left gastric anastomoses. Vessels richly anastomotic at mucosal, submucosal and intramuscular levels.
- L
gastric off axis; raises the gastropancreatic fold in
lesser sac off pancreas. Gives off oesophageal
branch, then divides / descends into major anterior /
posterior branches
- 10% have an accessory L gastric from the
splenic travelling through the bare area of the
stomach.
- R gastric off proper
hepatic. much more variable in size.
Significant for supplying gastric remnant
in oesophagectomy.
-
fundus & upper left greater curve
receive short gastrics from splenic artery in
gastrosplenic lig
-
rest of greater curve by gastroepiploic a’s: right is closer to
stomach than left; in partial gastrectomy, supply is
divided above left and below right; because left gastro-omental
branches are larger, the supply to the omentum is
usually preserved.
- L GE is from splenic,
passes forward in splenorenal then gastrosplenic
ligament to greater curve, runs 1cm off the gastric
border. Hence ends near origin of spleen.
Gives some ascending br's to fundus as well.
- R GE arises from GDA
behind D1. usually anastomosis with the L.
- Short gastrics, including
'posterior gastric artery', which is most proximal
short gastric, arches toward stomach through bare
area.
Rich anastomoses in gastric
wall at 3 levels: mucosally, submucosally and
intramuscularly
Veins parallel
arterial supply, drain to portal or splenic and SMV. L gastric vein encountered
before artery from inferior approach. Prepyloric
vein ®
right gastric vein.
Important only really in portal hypertension.
Surgical Points
Distal gastrectomy = well protected by abundant
collateral supplies.
High partial gastroectomy = divide left gastric and
some of short gastrics
- take care if all short gastrics / posterior gastric
taken; be alert for gastric malperfusion prior to
joining.
Gastric tubes
- Stomach mobilized except for R gastric and GE
arteries
- fundal supply often marginal and usually resected
with the specimn.
D0 = no attempt to
take nodes
D1 = local nodes in region of cancer
D2 = regional and draining nodes
D3 = secondary nodal groups (pancreatectomy, colectomy,
block dissection of SM and coeliac nodes)
There is free
anastomosis of lymph vessels in the stomach wall, but
valves direct flow (see Last p245): watershed parallel
to greater curvature;
Lymph drains to 4 key groups:
i) L gastric nodes: drains all of lesser curve
ii) Pancreaticosplenic nodes drain high gr curvature (to splenic hilum and along splenic vein)
iii) R gastroepiploic drains greater curve (--> pyloric nodes near gastroduodenal artery)
iv) Pyloric nodes drain pylorus (--> hepatic nodes)
Gastro-omental nodes may extend several cm into omentum \ omentectomy is included.
Everything ends up in coeliac nodes eventually; may spread up thoracic duct to Troiser’s sign in the L supraclavicular fossa.
Sympathetics (vasomotor) and pain together run with arterial branches
Parasympathetic more important; controls motility and secretion (and reflexes – 90% of fibres)
Contains mainly L vagal nerve fibres from
oesophageal plexus in posterior mediastinum. Usually one
trunk at the hiatus; may be 2-3 (<10%).
Two divisions:
(1) greater anterior gastric nerve (of Laterget) runs 1cm away from lesser curve in lesser omentum with left gastric artery ® 1-12 branches to stomach, usually terminating on antrum.
(2) hepatic branches (1-2) arises just below hiatus --> plexuses on hepatic artery / portal vein via lesser omentum; then turns down anterior wall of lesser omentum to reach pylorus.; division of this branch ® problems with gastric emptying.
Anterior trunk lies to L in thorax ® comes to lie on R at hiatus. Palpable as a bowstring on oesophagus when this is placed under tension. Must be mobilized away / upwards in myotomy.
Less variable than anterior trunk; formed from mainly R fibres of oesophageal plexus. Lies further away from oesophagus than anterior trunk.
Divides below
diaphragm ®
1 branch runs backwards along L
gastric artery to coeliac plexus
And greater posterior gastric nerve (posterior nerve of
Laterjet), which runs in lesser omentum behind
anterior trunk to reach near antrum.
- May give an ascending branch to fundus that
crosses behind the oesophagus = the criminal nerve
of Grassi
Posterior trunk does not supply the antrum or
pylorus.
= total abdominal
vagotomy. Usually
post trunk bigger than anterior one. If posterior not
found, divide all tissue between oesophagus and aorta
and to R and L
Early experience of TV: 1/3 --> impaired gastric emptying requiring drainage procedure.
1/3 --> impaired gastric emptying improving with time.
1/3 --> normal gastric emptying.
Denervates stomach, leaves innervation of rest of abdominal cavity intact.
Anterior trunk is divided just below hepatic division, post trunk below coeliac division.
Incidence of impaired gastric emptying ~10% (? = those people in whom pyloric nerve supply is via anterior nerve of Laterjet).
Avoids stasis by
cutting only branches to fundus and body.
Any individual nerves are found and cut, and
ligating vessels also catches nerves. Possible
because arterial branches run in lesser curve transversely while nerve branches
approach it obliquely.
Very time consuming; equal effect from separating
anterior and posterior vagal trunks and Laterjet
nerves away from stomach; retain Crows foot.
- must dissect fundus off to left of oesophagus to
account for criminal nerve.
Beware lesser curve ulcertation from ischaemia after
this procedure if left gastric branches all taken.