ABSTRACT
Organisation of the stomach The stomach can also be divided into three anatomical regions (Figure 5.1). The uppermost part is the fundus, which after a meal is often seen to contain gas. It also produces slow sustained contractions which exert a steady pressure on the gastric contents gradually pressing them in an aboral direction. The largest part of the stomach is the body which acts as a reservoir for ingested food and liquids. The antrum is the lowest part of the stomach. It is almost funnel-shaped, with its wide end joining the lower part of the body of the stomach and its narrow end connecting with the pyloric canal. The pyloric portion (the antrum plus the pyloric canal) of the stomach tends to curve to the right and slightly upward and backward and thus gives the stomach its J-shaped appearance.
