Illustrated Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation: Opus IV: Organ Systems: Digestive System and Spleen
Ronald A. Bergman, PhD
Adel K. Afifi, MD, MS
Ryosuke Miyauchi, MD
Peer Review Status: Internally Peer Reviewed
The upper part of the esophagus may communicate with the trachea by a congenital fistula, the result of arrested development in which this part of the foregut becomes divided into an alimentary and respiratory tube. This condition may be associated with atresia of the upper end of the esophagus.
Diverticula occasionally occur, especially on the posterior wall, and the esophagus may become considerably dilated just above the point where it pierces the diaphragm. Patches of the mucous membrane of the upper part of the esophagus are frequently found whose structure resembles the cardiac part of the stomach.
The right subclavian artery (arteria lusoria) may pass from left to right behind or in front of the esophagus or trachea.
Rarely, skeletal muscle may be found in the distal segment of the esophagus.
An anomalous lobe of the lung occasionally arises from the esophagus.
References
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