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Chapter 13 - Cervical Esophagus

from Section 4 - Neck

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2019

By
Elizabeth R. Benjamin  and
Kenji Inaba
Edited by
Demetrios Demetriades ,
Kenji Inaba  and
George Velmahos
Demetrios Demetriades
Affiliation:
University of Southern California
Kenji Inaba
Affiliation:
University of Southern California
George Velmahos
Affiliation:
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
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Summary

  • The cervical esophagus extends from the cricopharyngeus muscle into the chest to become the thoracic esophagus.

  • The external landmark of the pharyngoesophageal junction is the cricoid cartilage. On esophagoscopy, this is at 15 cm from the upper incisors.

  • The esophagus lacks a serosal layer and consists of an outer longitudinal and inner circular muscle layer.

  • The cervical esophagus is approximately 5–7 cm long and lies posterior to the cricoid cartilage and trachea and anterior to the longus colli muscles and vertebral bodies. It is flanked by the thyroid gland and carotid sheath on either side.

  • Blood supply is primarily from the inferior thyroid artery, although significant collateral circulation exists.

  • The recurrent laryngeal nerves lie on either side of the esophagus in the tracheoesophageal groove.

Type
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Information
Atlas of Surgical Techniques in Trauma , pp. 89 - 94
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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