MEDICAL PHYSIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Peristalsis is a series of wave-like muscle contractions that move food through the digestive tract. It starts in the esophagus where strong wave-like motions of the smooth muscle move balls of swallowed food to the stomach.

Detailed explanation-2: -Peristalsis squeezes your esophageal muscles from top to bottom. This pushes food and liquid along. If you could see peristalsis, it would look like a wave passing down your esophagus. To keep food and liquids moving in the right direction, your digestive tract has special muscles along its course called sphincters.

Detailed explanation-3: -The smooth muscle portion of the esophagus has myenteric plexus similar to the small intestine. However, peristalsis in the smooth muscle portion of the esophagus is very different than the intestine; the esophagus, but not intestine, can produce peristalsis at will (primary peristalsis).