Ventrolateral view, left side

The esophagus is an organ that is primarily smooth muscle tissue.  It is essentially a tube that extends from the pharynx to the stomach.  Functionally it is important because it directs food from the pharynx to the stomach during swallowing.  It also provides for the opposite flow during regurgitation.  Note that it you carefully examine the picture on the right you can see the dorsal vagus nerve.  Both the ventral vagus nerve and the dorsal vagus nerve join the esophagus caudal to the heart and run with it to the diaphragm.