[Various structural and functional criteria of the organization of sphincters of hollow internal organs].
Based on numerous data available in literature and authors' own findings, certain structural and functional criteria characterizing the organization of sphincters of the walls of hollow visceral organs were formulated. It is reasonable to attribute local thickening of the musculature circular layer (the main feature of a sphincter), changes in configuration of mucosal folds, cleft-like lumen of the organ in the zone of a sphincter, specificity of glandular and neurovascular mechanisms to the sphincter apparatus performing predominantly counterflux and coordinating functions.