Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to survey the basic principles in upper gastrointestinal motility. The upper GI-tract will be delineated as the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. The biliary tract will be emphasized in a later presentation.
For each of the organs the basic mechanisms will be considered, i.e. hormonal and neural regulation, influence of food intake, postural changes, and relation to age. An overall mention of the interdigestive variation will appear at the end.