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Encyclopedia > Esophageal hiatus
Esophageal hiatus
The diaphragm. Under surface. (Esophageal hiatus labeled at center right.)
Latin hiatus oesophageus, hiatus esophageus
Gray's subject #117 406
Dorlands/Elsevier h_11/12422045

In human anatomy, the esophageal hiatus is a hole in the diaphragm through which the esophagus passes. It is located in the right crus of the diaphragm. Image File history File links Gray391. ... A diaphragm is some sort of separating membrane. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Elseviers logo Elsevier, the worlds largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, forms part of the Reed Elsevier group. ... In the anatomy of mammals, the diaphragm is a shelf of muscle extending across the bottom of the ribcage. ... The esophagus (also spelled oesophagus/œsophagus), or gullet is the muscular tube in vertebrates through which ingested food passes from the mouth area to the stomach. ... The crura of the diaphragm (singular=crus) are tendinous structures that extend downward from the diaphragm to attach to the vertebral column. ...


It is located approximately at level of the tenth thoracic vertebra (T10). A typical thoracic vertebra The thoracic vertebrae (vertebrae thoracales) compose the middle segment of the vertebral column, between the cervical vertebrae and the lumbar vertebrae. ...


The esophageal hiatus is situated in the muscular part of the diaphragm at the level of the tenth thoracic vertebra, and is elliptical in shape. It is placed above, in front, and a little to the left of the aortic hiatus, and transmits the esophagus, the vagus nerves, and some small esophageal arteries. The right crus of the diaphragm loops around forming a sling around the diaphragm. Upon inspiration, this sling would constrict the diaphragm, forming an anatomical sphincter that prevents stomach contents from refluxing up the oesophagus when intra-abdominal pressure rises during inspiration.


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