THE ANATOMICAL PERSPECTIVE OF GASTROESOPHAGEAL JUNCTION AND OCCURRENCE OF HIATUS HERNIA IN CADAVERS

Abstract

One of the probable sites of herniation of the stomach into the thorax is the esophageal hiatus of the diaphragm. Lower esophageal sphincter mechanism is regarded as the major constituent guarding the aperture. Advancing age has its brunt on the diaphragmatic musculature, associated ligaments and the spine thereupon incapacitating the foramen producing upward pull of gastro-esophageal junction. Most of the anomalies were related to elderly women whose prevalence was reported incidentally. Despite the compression of the lung and heart in the mediastinum, the quality of life was not hampered and in most of the cases, kyphoscoliosis plays a paramount role in fostering the widening of the opening. PRISMA guidelines were followed for critical appraisal of the systematic review. Pubmed, Mendeley, Google Scholar, Google, Cochrane, ProQuest and Sci-Hub were the databases used to collect the literature review regarding anatomy of gastro-esophageal junction and its associated structures and hiatus hernia. This study documents various cadaveric reports of the thoracic stomach and details the anatomical features of the esophago-gastric intersection.