Histology Fact Sheet: Esophagus

Histology slide of the esophagus.
Histology slide courtesy of Education Interactive, Human Histology Photo CD.

When examining the histology of the esophagus, there are four layers.

Histology of the Mucosa

When looking at the histology it can be seen that tThe mucosa of the esophagus is lined by non-keratinized stratified squamous epithelium.

Histology hint from Sarah Bellham: when looking at a histology slide of the esophagus, look at the epithelium, and notice the nuclei.  Since this is non-keratinized epithelium, nuclei will go to the very top of the epithelium.

Underneath the non-keratinized stratified squamous epithelium is the lamina propria.  There is a muscularis mucosae at the boundary of the mucosa and submucosa.

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Histology of the Submucosa

On a histology slide of the submucosa, connective tissue, blood vessels, and mucous glands will be present.

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Histology of the Muscularis Externa

When looking at the histology it can be seen that the muscularis externa of the esophagus is made of both striated muscle and smooth muscle. The upper third of the esophagus has striated muscle in the muscularis externa. The lower third of the esophagus has smooth muscle in the muscularis externa. The middle third is a blend, containing both types of muscle.

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Histology of the Adventitia/Serosa

Adventitia is connective tissue that merges with connective tissue of surrounding structures. Some of the esophagus is covered by a serosa.

Histology of the Esophagus 1. Mucosa 2. Submucosa 3. Muscularis externa 4. Adventitia/serosa

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Sources:

Histology: A Text and Atlas
Michael H. Ross/Edward J. Reith

http://www.training.seer.cancer.gov; funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program, via contract number N01-CN-67006, with Emory
University, Atlanta SEER Cancer Registry, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.