Radially symmetrical contraction and relaxation of muscles
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A time-space diagram of a peristaltic wave after a water swallow. High-pressure values are red, zero pressure is blue-green. The ridge in the upper part of the picture is the high pressure of the upper esophageal sphincter which only opens for a short time to let water pass.
Peristalsis (/ˌpɛrɪˈstælsɪs/PERR-ih-STAL-siss, US also /-ˈstɔːl-/-STAWL-)[1] is a type of intestinal motility, characterized by radially symmetrical contraction and relaxation of muscles that propagate in a wave down a tube, in an anterograde direction. Peristalsis is progression of coordinated contraction of involuntary circular muscles, which is preceded by a simultaneous contraction of the longitudinal muscle and relaxation of the circular muscle in the lining of the gut.[2]
In much of a digestive tract, such as the human gastrointestinal tract, smooth muscle tissue contracts in sequence to produce a peristaltic wave, which propels a ball of food (called a bolus before being transformed into chyme in the stomach) along the tract. The peristaltic movement comprises relaxation of circular smooth muscles, then their contraction behind the chewed material to keep it from moving backward, then longitudinal contraction to push it forward.
Earthworms use a similar mechanism to drive their locomotion,[3][self-published source?] and some modern machinery imitate this design.[4]
The word comes from Neo-Latin and is derived from the Greek peristellein, "to wrap around," from peri-, "around" + stellein, "draw in, bring together; set in order".[5]
^Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
^Mittal, Ravinder K. (2011). Peristalsis in the Circular and Longitudinal Muscles of the Esophagus. Morgan & Claypool Life Sciences.
^Saga, Norihiko; Nakamura, Taro (2004). "Development of a peristaltic crawling robot using magnetic fluid on the basis of the locomotion mechanism of the earthworm". Smart Materials and Structures. 13 (3). IOP Publishing: 566–569. Bibcode:2004SMaS...13..566S. doi:10.1088/0964-1726/13/3/016. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
bolus enters the stomach. The process of peristalsis is controlled by the medulla oblongata. Esophageal peristalsis is typically assessed by performing an...
chemical conditions. Through intestinal muscles, the motor neurons control peristalsis and churning of intestinal contents. Other neurons control the secretion...
the presence of food in the stomach and gastric peristalsis. Initiation of the reflex causes peristalsis in the ileum and the opening of the ileocecal valve...
needed] Although peristalsis in the colon delivers material to the rectum, laxatives such as bisacodyl or senna that induce peristalsis in the large bowel...
normal propulsive ability of the intestine. It can be caused by lack of peristalsis or by mechanical obstruction. The word 'ileus' is from Ancient Greek...
Retroperistalsis is the reverse of the involuntary smooth muscle contractions of peristalsis. It usually occurs as a precursor to vomiting. Local irritation of the...
Nutcracker esophagus, jackhammer esophagus, or hypercontractile peristalsis, is a disorder of the movement of the esophagus characterized by contractions...
digestive tract, while peristalsis involves rhythmic contractions of the longitudinal muscles in the gastrointestinal tract. Unlike peristalsis, segmentation actually...
rhythmical contraction and relaxation, called peristalsis. Parasympathetic innervation enhances the peristalsis while sympathetic innervation inhibits it...
through the small intestine by a series of muscle contractions called peristalsis. A trained healthcare provider can listen to these intestinal noises...
halfway-tense state but can relax in spots to allow for local distention and peristalsis. The gastrointestinal tract contains the gut microbiota, with some 1...
Constricts all the intestinal sphincters and the urinary sphincter Inhibits peristalsis Stimulates orgasm The pattern of innervation of the sweat gland—namely...
circular orientation that also helps with continued bowel movements (peristalsis) and the movement of digested material out of and along the gut. In between...
contractions of the smooth muscle cells in the walls of lymph vessels (peristalsis) and the movement of skeletal muscles to propel lymph through the vessels...
mouth, proboscis, or elsewhere. Humans drink by swallowing, completed by peristalsis in the esophagus. The physiological processes of drinking vary widely...
these enable soft-bodied animals with a hydrostatic skeleton to move by peristalsis. They also have a gut that extends through the basically cylindrical...
from 3 waves/min in the stomach to 12 waves/min in the intestines. The peristalsis and segmentation, detailed below and pendular movement are famous examples...
then travel down the esophagus and into the stomach by the action of peristalsis. Gastric juice in the stomach starts protein digestion. Gastric juice...
duodenum, the first and shortest part of the small intestine, where peristalsis takes over to move this through the rest of the intestines. In the human...
peristalsis, and segmentation. Gastric acid, and the production of mucus in the stomach, are essential for the continuation of digestion. Peristalsis...
initiating peristalsis. The sympathetic trunk has a sympathetic function. It may enhance the function of the vagus nerve, increasing peristalsis and glandular...
daily to a few times weekly. Waves of muscular contraction (known as peristalsis) in the walls of the colon move fecal matter through the digestive tract...
and a water-filled body cavity (coelom or pseudocoelom). They move by peristalsis, using opposed circular and longitudinal muscles, which act on the hydrostatic...
maximum peristalsis occurs in the stomach. Thinnest muscularis layer in the alimentary canal is found in the rectum, where minimum peristalsis occurs....
(movement) of the large intestine; constrict blood vessels; increase peristalsis in the oesophagus; cause pupillary dilation, piloerection (goose bumps)...
change the shapes of individual segments, which facilitates movement by peristalsis ("ripples" that pass along the body) or by undulations that improve the...
swallowed, food moves through the gastrointestinal tract by means of peristalsis: the systematic expansion and contraction of muscles to push food from...
been traced to the remaining prominence of reversed peristalsis in contrast to direct peristalsis. Since females between the ages of 10 and 30 are most...
alternating waves of circular and longitudinal contractions is called peristalsis, which underlies the creeping movement of earthworms. Invertebrates such...
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