page_title: Stomach
section_title: Clinical significance
hierarchical_section_title: Stomach / Clinical significance
caption_attribution_description: endoscopy image of normal stomach of a healthy 65-years old woman. (pylorus) Permission of patient to publish this image was obtained.
context_page_description: The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital digestive organ. In the digestive system the stomach is involved in the second phase of digestion, following chewing. It performs a chemical breakdown due to enzymes and hydrochloric acid.
  In humans and many other animals, the stomach is located between the oesophagus and the small intestine. It secretes digestive enzymes and gastric acid to aid in food digestion. The pyloric sphincter controls the passage of partially digested food from the stomach into the duodenum where peristalsis takes over to move this through the rest of the intestines.
caption: An endoscopy of a normal stomach of a healthy 65-year-old woman.
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