In pediatric gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), the immaturity of lower esophageal sphincter function is manifested by frequent transient lower esophageal relaxations, which result in retrograde flow of gastric contents into the esophagus. Which statement about the esophagus is true? Select all that apply.
A. It is a cartilaginous tube.
B. It has upper and lower sphincters.
C. It lies anterior to the trachea.
D. It extends from the nasal cavity to the stomach.
E. It is a highway for food and drinks to travel along to make it to the stomach.
F. All statements describe the esophagus.
Correct Answer: B & E
Upper and lower esophageal sphincters, located at the upper and lower ends of the esophagus, respectively, regulate the movement of food into and out of the esophagus. If the mouth is the gateway to the body, then the esophagus is a highway for food and drink to travel along to make it to the stomach.
Option A: The esophagus is a muscular tube, lined with moist stratified squamous epithelium. The esophagus is a muscular channel that carries food from the pharynx to the stomach. It starts with the upper esophageal sphincter, formed in part by the cricopharyngeus muscle, and ends with the lower esophageal sphincter, surrounded by the crural diaphragm.
Option C: It lies anterior to the vertebrae and posterior to the trachea within the mediastinum. Additionally, the trachea and the diaphragm closely neighbor the esophagus, with the former being anterior to it and the latter surrounding the LES through its crural part.
Option D: It extends from the pharynx to the stomach. It is about 25 centimeters (cm) long. The esophagus serves as a conduit for the transportation of a bolus from the pharynx to the stomach. Thus, events occurring upstream, in the mouth, and downstream, in the stomach impact the esophagus.