Many branches of the celiac trunk bring arterial blood to the stomach. The celiac trunk is a short, wide artery that branches from the abdominal portion of the aorta, the main vessel conveying arterial blood from the heart to the systemic circulation. Blood from the stomach is returned to the venous system through the portal vein, which carries the blood to the liver.

The nerve supply to the stomach is provided by both the parasympathetic and sympathetic divisions of the autonomic nervous system. The parasympathetic nerve fibres are carried in the vagus, or 10th cranial, nerve. As the vagus nerve passes through the opening in the diaphragm together with the esophagus, branches of the right vagus nerve spread over the posterior part of the stomach, while the left vagus nerve supplies the anterior part. Sympathetic branches from a nerve network called the celiac, or solar, plexus accompany the arteries of the stomach into the muscular wall.

Stomach contractions

Three types of motor activity of the stomach have been observed. The first is a small contraction wave of the stomach wall that originates in the upper part of the stomach and slowly moves down over the organ toward the pyloric sphincter. This type of contraction produces a slight indentation of the stomach wall. Retrograde waves frequently sweep from the pyloric sphincter to the antrum and up to its junction with the body of the stomach, which results in a back-and-forth movement of the gastric contents that has a mixing and crushing effect. The second type of motor activity is also a contracting wave, but it is peristaltic in nature. The contraction originates in the upper part of the stomach as well and is slowly propagated over the organ toward the pyloric sphincter. This type of gastric contraction produces a deep indentation in the wall of the stomach. As the peristaltic wave approaches the antrum, the indentation completely obstructs the stomach lumen, or cavity, and thus compartmentalizes it. The contracting wave then moves over the antrum, propelling the material ahead of it through the pyloric sphincter into the duodenum. This type of contraction serves as a pumping mechanism for emptying the contents of the gastric antrum through the pyloric sphincter. Both the mixing and the peristaltic contractions of the stomach occur at a constant rate of three contractions per minute when recorded from the gastric antrum. A wave of peristalsis sweeps along the lower half of the stomach and along the entire intestine to the proximal colon at two-hour intervals after meals. These peristaltic waves can be halted by eating and can be induced by the hormone motilin.

The third type of gastric motor activity is best described as a tonic, or sustained, contraction of all the stomach muscles. The tonic contraction decreases the size of the stomach lumen, as all parts of the gastric wall seem to contract simultaneously. This activity accounts for the stomach’s ability to accommodate itself to varying volumes of gastric content. The tonic contraction is independent of the other two types of contractions; however, mixing contractions and peristaltic contractions normally occur simultaneously with the tonic contraction. As food is broken down, smaller particles flow through the pyloric sphincter, which opens momentarily as a peristaltic wave descends through the antrum toward it. This permits “sampling” of the gastric contents by the duodenum.