The adult human esophagus is an 18- to 25-cm long muscular tube that has cervical, thoracic, and abdominal parts. The esophagus wall is composed of striated muscle in the upper part, smooth muscle in ...

For most people, swallowing is second nature, but how does it occur, and why do some people have difficulty with it? Researchers at Kyushu University in Japan have started to tackle these questions by ...

Achalasia is a disorder of the esophagus, or food pipe, which causes the cells and muscles to lose function. This can lead to difficulties with swallowing, chest pain, and regurgitation. Achalasia can ...

The cervical esophagus contains predominantly striated muscle fibers, but occasionally smooth fibers are found in the center of the muscle. 33 The muscle fibers are arranged in two layers: the ...