- Stomach: widest and most distensible part of the alimentary canal, between the oesophagus and duodenum, in the left hypochondriac, umbilical and epigastric regions.
- Functions:
- Food reservoir.
- Mixes food with gastric secretions to form chyme.
- Controls the rate of chyme delivery into the duodenum.
- Intrinsic factor enables vitamin B12 absorption.
Location, Shape and Size
- J-shaped, tapering from the fundus (left) to the pylorus (right) of the median plane.
- Highly distensible: capacity 30 mL at birth, 1000 mL at puberty, 1500 to 2000 mL in adults.
location of the stomach, anterior abdominal wall regions Location of the stomach, anterior abdominal wall regions.