Tunica muscularis

In hollow organs, the tunica muscularis is the fine tissue layer below the tela submucosa . With the exception of the upper third of the esophagus , the tunica muscularis consists of smooth muscles . The muscle bundles form spirals with a circular course on the inside and a longitudinal course on the outer side. In anatomy, the two layers are referred to as the circular stratum and the longitudinal stratum .

A narrow layer of connective tissue with many blood and lymph vessels runs between the two muscle layers . In this layer there is a nerve plexus of the enteric nervous system , which in the body part of the digestive tract as the myenteric plexus (Auerbach) is referred to. The contractions of the musculature of the tunica muscularis serve to transport food through the gastrointestinal tract.