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Despite the simplicity of the anatomical structure, the stomach has several functional sections. Moving from department to department, the food bolus is ground, after which it enters the duodenum and large intestine. One of these segments is the pyloric section of the stomach, which performs not only a digestive function.
- 1 Features and anatomical characteristics
- 2 Pathologies of the pyloric part of the stomach
- 3 Useful video
- 4 Preventive measures
Features and anatomical characteristics
The pylorus or pylorus is conventionally the lower part of the stomach. From below, the pyloric section is connected to the duodenum by the pyloric sphincter or sphincter - a ring-shaped muscular septum, which is responsible for the entry of the semi-digested food bolus into the sections of the small intestine ahead of time.
In addition, the pyloric sphincter allows the required volume of gastric juice to pass through and separates solid food from semi-liquid food.
In its shape, the pyloric part of the gastric cavity resembles an expanded oval, which tapers towards the duodenum. Anatomy may vary slightly, repeating the individual physiological parameters of the human body. The pyloric section is otherwise called the bottom of the stomach, which is responsible not only for the digestive, but also for a number of other functions:
- accumulation, processing and further transport of the food bolus to the lower parts of the digestive system;
- processing the food bolus with special digestive enzymes (chymosin, lipase, pepsin) and hydrochloric acid;
- production of Castle factor - a special component that absorbs, combines and transports vitamin B12 throughout the body;
- absorption of certain types of salt compounds, glucose and water:
- the production of hormones responsible for the functionality of the entire digestive system.
An important aspect in the functional purpose of the pyloric part of the stomach is the compensatory possibility in case of chronic renal failure or severe intoxication. At the moment of pronounced dysfunction of these organs, the secretion and excretion of special enzymes begins in the pyloric region, responsible for the expulsion of toxins from the blood plasma.
Regulation of the release and distribution of hydrochloric acid contributes to the antibacterial treatment of the food bolus, killing conditionally active pathogenic microflora. In addition to digestive hormones, the pyloric segment of the stomach produces serotonin, gastrin, somatostatin, and endorphins. The pyloric glands are responsible for the endocrine function of the organ and influence metabolic processes in the body.
Note! Interaction with the entire digestive system leads to serious diseases only with minor functional failure of certain systems.
Anatomy of the stomach
The stomach is an important area of the digestive tract. This organ is located just after the esophagus and just before the beginning of the small intestine. The food and drinks we consume through the mouth enter the stomach through the esophagus. In the stomach, food is broken down and digested to some extent. The resulting digested pulp then passes into the duodenum, which is the first part of the small intestine.
The stomach is an important area of the digestive tract. This organ is located just after the esophagus and just before the start of the small intestine.
Pathologies of the pyloric part of the stomach
Diseases of the pyloric region of the stomach are always difficult to tolerate, since the transport of the food bolus through the gastrointestinal tract is greatly impaired. Stagnation, accompanying processes of putrefaction and large secretion of gastric juice often provoke the following pathological conditions with a tendency to rapidly become chronic:
Ulcerative-erosive lesion
Ulcerative lesions of the stomach in the photo look like erosions. The main causes of the pathology are non-compliance with the rules of a normal healthy diet, infection by Helicobacter pylori, bad habits, in particular, alcohol abuse.
Regular aggressive effects on the mucous membranes provoke thinning of the mucous epithelium, up to perforation processes, perforation with multiple infectious consequences. The main symptoms of the pathology are:
- the appearance of night hunger pains;
- traces of blood in stool;
- pain when eating and after during active digestive processes;
- weight loss;
- vomiting, nausea;
- development of iron deficiency anemia;
- tarry unstable stool.
Perforation and perforation are the main complications of the ulcerative process. Without timely surgical care, the risks of death due to acute peritonitis and a generalized inflammatory process increase.
Important! Treatment of the pathology is usually surgical with long-term restorative treatment with antibiotics and adherence to a therapeutic diet in accordance with the acidity of gastric juice.
Pyloric narrowing or stenosis
Narrowing of the sphincteral sections of the pylorus or pyloric stenosis is a complicated course of peptic ulcer disease. Pathology can also be caused by the anatomical features of the gastric sections. The mechanism of development of stenosis is the formation of a peptic ulcer followed by scarring of the functioning mucous tissue. Symptoms are expressed in proportion to the dysfunction of the pylorus and are manifested by the following clinical manifestations:
- increased gas formation;
- flatulence;
- constipation, painful bowel movements;
- putrid belching and bad breath;
- nausea, vomiting;
- signs of chronic intoxication.
Stenosis can only be treated surgically. For pyloric stenosis, endoscopic or laparotomy surgery is performed. During the manipulation, scar tissue is excised, leading to a narrowing of the lumen of the sphincter of the lower stomach.
Oncological transformation of cells
The risks of stomach cancer are caused by polypous foci, regular active inflammatory processes, complicated by peptic ulcer disease and erosive lesions of the mucosa. Regular use of medications, as well as their inadequate use, bypassing medical prescriptions.
An important role in the malignancy of tumor cells is played by hereditary burden. If close relatives have a history of stomach cancer, the risk of cancer increases significantly. The main symptoms of oncology are:
- severe pain of unclear localization in the epigastrium, epigastric region;
- feeling of stagnation of the food bolus;
- putrefactive decomposition of food during stagnation;
- vomiting, nausea;
- general malaise;
- sudden weight loss;
- intragastric bleeding.
A common cause of precancer is the appearance of a parietal polypous lesion in the fundus of the stomach. Malignancy of a polyp under the influence of multiple factors often causes malignancy of tumor cells.
Typically, precancer includes chronic ulcerative gastritis with a high risk of perforation and perforation of the stomach walls. When the first symptoms appear, it is important to immediately consult a doctor.
Note! Treatment is only surgical; in the final stages, the organ cannot be preserved. Advanced cases of oncology with penetration of metastases into organs, the tumor is already inoperable.
Damage to the gastric parts of the stomach, including the pyloric one, can be caused by trauma (ruptures after a severe bruise, as a result of a fracture of the chest), chemical burn (accidental ingestion of alkali, poisons, household solutions), severe inflammatory process inside the body, chronic dysbiosis after poisoning, antibiotic therapy .
Diseases developing in this department
Most often, specialists diagnose ulcerative pathology in the prepyloric part of the stomach. This disease develops on the mucous membranes of the organ against the background of inflammatory processes and provoking factors. Patients who have encountered this disease experience periodic states of remission, alternating with exacerbations.
Currently, in this part of the stomach, ulcerative pathology is detected in almost 15%-16% of examined people who went to medical institutions with complaints and characteristic symptoms. Young people are more susceptible to the disease, in whom its clinical picture is practically identical to the manifestations of a duodenal ulcer.
They may suspect the development of this pathology based on the following signs:
- people experience pain at night, as well as on an empty stomach;
- after eating, the pain syndrome disappears, but as soon as the process of evacuation of the stomach contents into the intestines is completed, it resumes;
- patients are constantly tormented by heartburn, which may be accompanied by a gag reflex (in most cases, acidic vomit is released, as the level of acid in the organ increases);
- with the progression of ulcerative pathology, internal bleeding from the lesions may open (according to statistics, every fifth patient faces this problem), etc.
Clinical picture of the manifestation of ulcerative pathology in this department
Where the prepyloric section of the stomach is located, ulcerative pathology develops quite often, in almost 8% of cases. Treatment of this form of pathology is usually protracted and requires a complex medical and sometimes surgical approach.
Patients who are faced with this disease complain of severe pain, which is often paroxysmal in nature. The duration of such attacks is at least 40 minutes.
In addition to hunger and night pain, patients may experience:
- paroxysmal pain that is repeated many times;
- pain, the intensity of which is moderate;
- pain that gradually intensifies and also slowly fades away.
Patients, even after a small meal, experience a feeling of distension and fullness in the stomach. Sweating and drooling may increase for no apparent reason. Against the background of pain, belching, heartburn and a gag reflex appear. After vomiting, people experience temporary relief.
Due to the dense vascular network in the prepyloric region, patients are at risk of severe bleeding. In the case when ulcerative pathology either progresses or goes into remission over many years, pyloric stenosis may develop.
The most common complication is perforation of the ulcer, or its penetration into a neighboring organ, in most cases the pancreas. In the latter case, signs of acute pancreatitis are added to the symptoms characteristic of ulcerative pathology. Modern medicine knows of cases where an ulcer that developed in the prepyloric part of an organ degenerated into a malignant neoplasm.
Preventive actions
The main prevention of inflammatory diseases comes down to following a general protective regime, as well as following a special diet for the entire period of remission between exacerbations.
There is no other specific prevention against diseases of the pyloric stomach, but the following measures will help reduce the risk of developing pathologies:
- maintaining a healthy lifestyle;
- exclusion of tobacco, alcohol;
- timely response to the appearance of any atypical symptoms;
- use of medications only as prescribed by a doctor;
- compliance with the protective regime during exacerbation of chronic pathologies;
- therapeutic diet for exacerbation or severe inflammatory diseases;
- reducing the stress load on the body.
Regular disruptions in the function of the digestive system over the years lead to chronic diseases. The lack of adequate timely assistance often becomes the cause of pathology, even life-threatening conditions. Advanced gastric pathologies are usually eliminated surgically.
The prognosis for the disease depends on the severity of the pathological process, timely diagnosis and spread of inflammatory foci.
Functions of the stomach
The main function of the stomach is to partially digest food. The stomach also regulates the amount of partially digested food that passes into the small intestine, which helps maximize nutrient absorption. Mechanical, chemical and enzymatic processes help digest food in the stomach. Food in the stomach is broken into smaller parts as a result of mechanical churning of food, as well as under the influence of strongly acidic gastric juices.
Certain enzymes that can function in the highly acidic environment of the stomach also aid the digestion process. Pepsin and gastric lipase are examples of two such stable gastric enzymes. In addition to digestion, the stomach also absorbs small amounts of nutrients. Strong stomach acid and digestive enzymes also destroy microorganisms that enter the digestive tract with food. This may help prevent illness.
Pathologies
Common pathologies in the pyloric region are stenosis, ulcers, erosion, and polyp formation. They are much more severe than the same diseases in the body of the stomach, which is associated with disruption of the movement of food, the development of stagnant and putrefactive processes. Most often, these diseases immediately become chronic.
STENOSIS
Stenosis is a narrowing of the pyloric lumen. The cause of its development is often gastric ulcer, when muscle tissue is replaced by connective tissue due to scarring of the ulcer. Clinical symptoms depend on the degree of obstruction of the food bolus. If the function of the pylorus is preserved, then a feeling of heaviness occurs after eating, which passes over time.
In severe cases, when complete obstruction forms, stagnation and putrefactive processes begin, leading to stomach fullness, gas formation, belching with an unpleasant taste, nausea, and vomiting after eating. Due to the lack of nutrients, the body is depleted, the person feels weak, and symptoms of intoxication are present. Treatment in this situation is carried out only by surgery.
POLYPOID HYPERTROPHY
Polypoid hypertrophy of the mucosa is said to occur when, during gastroscopy, multiple growths of a glandular structure of a benign nature are revealed. As a rule, they are discovered by chance, since if the size of the growths is small, then the disease is asymptomatic.
With large pathological formations, the risk of gastric bleeding increases, which is manifested by vomiting with blood or tarry feces. There are pain attacks in the abdomen, and the evacuation of food into the small intestine is disrupted. A severe complication of the disease is malignant degeneration of polyps, which leads to the need for surgical treatment.
An ulcer is a defect of the mucous membrane with trophic disorders. Its development most often results from infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. However, other reasons are also possible. Peptic ulcer disease manifests itself in the form of pain that disappears after eating, and after a while appears again. A dangerous complication of an ulcer is its perforation and perforation of the stomach, which can be fatal.
EROSION
Gastric erosion is one of the most common pathologies and is a defect in the superficial tissues of the mucous membrane without involving the muscular lining. Symptoms of the pathology are intense, persistent pain associated with eating, anemia, and the presence of traces of blood in the stool. With timely treatment, they heal without a trace, leaving no scar, but if not treated in a timely manner, they lead to the formation of polyps and hyperplasia of the gastric mucosa. The causes of their occurrence may be stress, taking medications from the group of NSAIDs and corticosteroids, burns, and postoperative complications.
