Maagmotiliteit

Gastric motility is the coordinated movement of stomach muscles and secretions, which propels food and liquids through the stomach.

As the swallowed food moves towards the stomach, the vagus nerve mediates the relaxation of the smooth muscles in the fundus and body.

These muscles can also stretch to accommodate a volume of about 1.5L.

After food entry, the stomach walls produce peristaltic waves to propel the gastric contents.

They start near the gastroesophageal sphincter and become stronger as they progress towards the pylorus.

This keeps the contents in the fundus and body regions largely unmixed, while strong contractions in the lower pyloric antrum grind the food thoroughly.

The gastric contractions blend the partially digested food with gastric secretions, forming the pulpy chyme.

The enteric pacemaker cells in the myenteric plexus generate spontaneous electrical impulses, establishing the basic electrical rhythm.

These impulses are transmitted through gap junctions across the stomach wall, setting the contractile rhythm of peristaltic waves.