OESOPHAGUS. 



197 



spirally through the muscularis mucosae and tunica propria, entering the 

 epithelium where it projects outward between the connective tissue papillae. 

 The ducts generally slant toward the stomach. The large ones are lined 

 with stratified epithelium, often ciliated, and sometimes they present cyst- 

 like dilatations. The smaller ducts are of simple epithelium. Lymphocytes 

 may be numerous along the ducts, forming solitary nodules near them in the 

 tunica propria, and extending into the submucosa. Sometimes the glands 

 show signs of degenera- 

 tion. Their number 

 varies greatly in different 

 individuals. Usually 

 they are most abundant 

 in the upper half of the 

 oesophagus. 



A second type of 

 oesophageal glands 

 closely resemble the car- 

 diac glands found in the 

 oesophageal end of the 

 stomach. The oesopha- 

 geal cardiac glands (Fig. 

 222) occur in the poste- 

 rior or lowest 2 to 4 mm. 

 of the oesophagus, and 

 also in small numbers 

 at its anterior end be- 

 tween the levels of the 

 cricoid cartilage and the 

 fifth tracheal ring. The 

 latter group is said to 

 be absent in about 30% 

 of the cases examined. 

 The bodies of the oesoph- 

 ageal cardiac glands are confined to the tunica propria, and their 

 ducts enter the epithelium at the summit of a connective tissue 

 papilla. Their ducts have many branches, lined throughout with simple 

 columnar epithelium, and this form of epithelium may spread around their 

 outlets in the lumen of the oesophagus. Because of this, when the oesoph- 

 agus is opened, the anterior cardiac glands may appear macroscopically 

 on its lateral walls as small erosions of the lining. The secreting cells of the 

 cardiac glands contain round nuclei and granular protoplasm. Although 



FIG. 222. LONGITUDINAL SECTION THROUGH THE JUNCTION OF 

 THE OESOPHAGUS AND STOMACH OP MAN. X 121. (Schdf- 

 fer, from Bailey's Histology.) 



Oe., Oesophagus, its stratified epithelium, E., terminating at u; 

 M, stomach ; cd. dd, cardiac glands in stomach and oesopha- 

 gus respectively; ac, wd, dilated ducts of the cardiac glands; 

 S, tunica propria; m. m., muscularis mucosae. 



