The pleuro-esophageal muscle: a disregarded anatomical structure.

A transverse muscular band extending from the left pleura to the esophagus was detected during routine dissection of posterior mediastinum in Anatomy Department of Ege University Medical Faculty. As a result of a detailed review of the literature, we found that this structure is named as the pleuro-esophageal muscle. This muscle was made of smooth fibers, acting as an anchoring structure to the lower part of the esophagus. While the entire esophageal muscle is smooth in the early stage of fetal development, this muscle probably derives as an early separation from the esophagus.