Areterial Blood Supply
                                        Extremely varried.

                                        From the inferior thyroid aryery→Cervical esophagus
                                 Accessory arteries from the subclavian, common carotid,
                                 vertebral, ascending pharyngeal, superficial cervical and
                                 costocervical trunk.

                                        Esophagealbraches→Thoracic esophagus
                                 Bronchial arteries (varried; 2 left and 1 right is the standard),
                                            additional twings from the aorta, aortic arch, uppermost
                                 intercostals, internal mammary and carotid.

                             →Abdominal esophgus receives from the left gastric, short
                                            gastric and the recurrent branches of the left inferior
                                            phrenic arteries.

    Venous  Blood Drainage
                                         Empty into various single veins and into the azygos and
                               hemiazygos system

                                        Begins in a submucosal venous plexus → after piercing the
                               muscle layers → venous plexus on the external surface of
                                        the esophagus

                               Cervical periesophageal venous plexus → inferior thyroid vein
                                        → right or left brachiocephalic ( innominate ) vein, or into both

                               Thoracic periesophageal plexus on the right, join the azygos,
                                        right brachiocephalic and occasional vertebral vein;  on the left
                                        join the hemiazygos, accesory hemiazygos, left brachiocephalic
                                        and vertebral vein

                                        Tributaries from the short abdominal esophagus → the left gastric
                                        ( coronary ) vein of the stomach; others → short gastric veins,
                                       splenic veins and left gastro-epiploic veins or of the branches of
                                        left inferior phrenic, the latter joinning the inferior vena cava;
                                        or suprarenal enters the renal vein

        Caval system

                                        At the E-C junction, branches from coronary vein are in continuity
                                        with the lower esophageal brr. through which blood may be
                                        shunted into the SVC via the azygos and hemiazygos veins.  From
                                        this same area, blood may be shunted into the splenic veins,                                                                                   retroperitoneal veins and inferior phrenic vein of the diaphrgma,                    
                                        through which communication is established with the caval system.

                               Backflow of the venous blood through the esophageal veins leads to
                                        their dilatation, with formation of varicosities.

                                        Since short gastrics pass up from the splenic to the cardio-esophageal
                                        end of the stomach, thrombosis of the splenic vein may readily lead
                                        to esophageal varices and fetal hemorrhages.

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