Esophagus development

Esophagus is formed roughly in the '''4. week''' caudally to the primitive pharynx. It is separated from the foundations of the respiratory system by the tracheoesophageal septum. At first the esophagus is short, but rapidly lengthens as the heart and lungs descend. In the seventh week, it will grow to its final relative length. The epithelium and the glands of the esophagus come from the entoderm of the foregut, in the upper two thirds the musculature of the esophagus is striated, it arises from the mesenchyme of the caudal pharyngeal arches and is innervated by the n. vagus, the lower third is made up of smooth muscle from the adjacent splanchnic mesenchyme, which is innervated by the autonomic nervous system.

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