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Layers of the bowel

Objective 1: The anatomy of the bowel wall and vascular supply

There are 4 anatomical layers to the bowel wall, being the mucosa, submucosa, muscularis and serosa

 

Mucosal layer:

  • This layer has no inherent strength, does not contribute to structural integrity of an anastomosis.

Submucosa:

  • This layer has collagen, elastin and fibroblasts which are essential for healing.
  • It has the greatest tensile strength of the four layers.
  • The collagen content provides structure to support the anastomosis during healing.

Muscularis propria

  • In the colon, the inner circular musculature of the muscularis is strongly pronounced.
  • The outer longitudinal musculature is only commonly found in the taeniae.
  • Provides the contractile waves required for peristalsis.

Serosa:

  • This is the outermost layer and is made up of loose connective tissue
  • It is covered by the visceral peritoneum

The submucosa must be included in the anastomosis for structural integrity

An overview of the histology of the bowel wall:

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