Fundic glands

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The fundus glands (or fundic glands, or gastric glands) are found in the body and fundus of the stomach; they are simple tubes, two or more of which open into a single duct.

The duct, however, in these glands is shorter than in the pyloric variety, sometimes not amounting to more than one-sixth of the whole length of the gland; it is lined throughout by columnar epithelium.

The gland tubes are straight and parallel to each other.

[edit] Types of cells

• At the point where they open into the duct, which is termed the neck, the epithelium alters, and consists of short columnar or polyhedral, granular cells, which almost fill the tube, so that the lumen becomes suddenly constricted and is continued down as a very fine channel. They are known as the chief cells or central cells of the glands.

• Between these cells and the basement membrane, larger oval cells, which stain deeply with eosin, are found; these cells are studded throughout the tube at intervals, giving it a beaded or varicose appearance. These are known as the parietal cells or oxyntic cells, and they are connected with the lumen by fine channels which run into their substance.

[edit] Pathology

Fundic gland polyposis is a medical syndrome where the fundus of the stomach develops many polyps.

[edit] Additional images

H&E stain of fundic gland polyp showing shortening of the gastric pits with cystic dilatation

Layers of stomach wall

[edit] External links

• Dictionary at eMedicine gastric+glands
• Histology at OU 50_02 - "Fundic stomach"
• Organology at UC Davis Digestive/mammal/stomach4/stomach2 - "Mammal, ruminant stomach (LM, High)"
• Veterinary Histology at vt.edu
• Details at luc.edu - see slide #42

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This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.