Pylorus
Outline of stomach, showing its anatomical landmarks.
Interior of the stomach. (Pylorus labeled at center left.)
Latin	valvula pylori
Gray's	subject #247 1164

The pylorus (from Greek πυλωρος = "gate guard") is the region of the stomach that connects to the duodenum. It is divided in two parts:

• the pyloric antrum, which connects to the body of the stomach.
• the pyloric canal, which connects to the duodenum.

The pyloric sphincter, or valve, is a strong ring of smooth muscle at the end of the pyloric canal and lets food pass from the stomach to the duodenum. It receives sympathetic innervation from celiac ganglion.

[edit] Medical significance

One medical condition associated with the pylorus is pyloric stenosis. In such conditions as stomach cancer, when tumours may partly block the pyloric canal, a special tube can be implanted surgically to connect the stomach to the duodenum to assist food to pass from one to the other. This tube is called a pyloric stent.

[edit] In popular culture

In John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces, the protagonist complains frequently about his pyloric valve, which, he claims, opens or shuts according to stress levels.

In Umberto Eco's The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, translated from the Italian by Geoffrey Brock, the protagonist, Giambattista Bodoni, alternately describes a tickling or a knot in his pylorus that feels like "a mysterious flame".

[edit] Additional images

The longitudinal and circular muscular fibers of the stomach, viewed from above and in front.

The oblique muscular fibers of the stomach, viewed from above and in front.

[edit] References

• Stedman's/LWW 1557908

[edit] External links

• SUNY Labs 37:06-0105 - "Abdominal Cavity: The Stomach"
• SUNY Labs 38:07-0102 - "Stomach, Spleen and Liver: The Pylorus"
• SUNY Anatomy Image 8150