Pericardium
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| Pericardium | |
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| Posterior wall of the pericardial sac, showing the lines of reflection of the serous pericardium on the great vessels. | |
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| A transverse section of the thorax, showing the contents of the middle and the posterior mediastinum. The pleural and pericardial cavities are exaggerated since normally there is no space between parietal and visceral pleura and between pericardium and heart Paricardium is also known as cariac epidemis. | |
| Gray's | subject #137 524 |
| Artery | pericardiacophrenic artery |
| MeSH | Pericardium |
The pericardium is a double-walled sac that contains the heart and the roots of the great vessels.
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[edit] Layers
There are two layers to the pericardial sac: the fibrous pericardium and the serous pericardium. The serous pericardium, in turn, is divided into two layers, the parietal pericardium, which is fused to and inseparable from the fibrous pericardium, and the visceral pericardium, which is in fact epicardium, or the outer surface of the heart muscle (the myocardium).
In between the parietal and visceral pericardial layers there is a potential space called the pericardial cavity. It is normally lubricated by a film of pericardial fluid. Too much fluid in the cavity (such as in a pericardial effusion) can result in pericardial tamponade, compression of the heart within the pericardial sac.
[edit] Diseases/Abnormalities
- Pericarditis resulting in pericardial friction rub
- Pericardial effusion which may lead to cardiac tamponade.
[edit] Additional images
 The phrenic nerve and its relations with the vagus nerve. |
 Thoracic portion of the sympathetic trunk. |
 Liver with the septum transversum. Human embryo 3 mm. long. |
 The thymus of a full-time fetus, exposed in situ. |
[edit] External links
- SUNY Labs 21:st-1500 - "Mediastinum: Pericardium (pericardial sac)"
- Norman/Georgetown thoraxlesson4 (heartpericardium)
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