Gastric | Antrum

| Feature | Description | |--------|-------------| | | Pyloric glands (branched, coiled) | | Main cell types | G cells (gastrin), D cells (somatostatin), mucous neck cells | | Parietal cells | Rare or absent (no acid production) | | Chief cells | Absent | | Mucus | Alkaline mucus to protect from acid coming from proximal stomach |

The (or pyloric antrum) is the lower, funnel-shaped region of the stomach that acts as a critical gateway to the small intestine. Positioned just before the pyloric sphincter, its primary roles include grinding food into a digestible paste (chyme) and regulating the release of stomach contents into the duodenum through specialized hormonal signaling. Because it is the most dependent part of the stomach, the antrum is also the primary site for medical imaging, such as point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), to assess gastric volume and aspiration risk before surgery. Anatomy and Cellular Structure antrum gastric