thoracic cavity

Information about thoracic cavity

Body cavities
The thorax from the right.
Latincavitas thoracis
subject #136 524
Dorlands/Elsevier c_16/12220616
The thoracic cavity (or chest cavity) is the chamber of the human body (and other animal bodies) that is protected by the thoracic wall (thoracic cage and associated skin, muscle, and fascia).

Components

Structures within the thoracic cavity include: It contains three potential spaces lined with mesothelium: the paired pleural cavities and the pericardial cavity. The mediastinum comprises those organs which lie in the centre of the chest between the lungs.

Boundaries

The thoracic cavity is separated from the abdominal cavity by the diaphragm. The thoracic inlet is the upper limit of the thoracic cavity, formed by the manubrium in front, the first ribs laterally, and the spine posteriorly.

Clinical significance

If the pleural cavity is breached from the outside, as by a bullet wound or knife wound, a pneumothorax, or air in the cavity, may result. If the volume of air is significant, one or both lungs may collapse, which requires immediate medical attention.

External links

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General anatomy of torso
ThoraxMediastinum (Superior, Anterior, Middle, Posterior) • Superior thoracic aperture • Inferior thoracic aperture • Triangle of auscultation • Intercostal space • Thoracic plane • Thoracic cavity • Thoracic cage
Thoracic diaphragmopenings (Caval opening, Esophageal hiatus, Aortic hiatus, Foramina of Morgagni) • Central tendon • Crus of diaphragm • arcuate ligaments (Lateral, Medial, Median)
AbdomenMcBurney's point • Lumbar triangle • Arcuate line • Linea alba
PerineumUrogenital triangle • Anal triangle • Superficial perineal pouch • Perineal membrane • Deep perineal pouch • Urogenital diaphragm • Superior fascia of the urogenital diaphragm • Ischiorectal fossa - Pudendal canal
FasciaPectoral fascia - Clavipectoral fascia - Transversalis fascia - Deep inguinal ring - Superficial inguinal ring - Fascia of Camper - Fascia of Scarpa - Fascia of Colles
Latin}}} 
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
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Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, forms part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has substantial operations in the UK, USA and elsewhere.
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body cavity is any fluid filled space in a multicellular organism. However, the term usually refers to the space, located between an animal’s outer covering (epidermis) and the outer lining of the gut cavity, where internal organs develop.
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The thoracic wall (or chest wall) is the boundary of the thoracic cavity.

The body portion is known as the thoracic cage. However, the wall also includes muscle, skin, and fascia.
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thoracic cage is a bony and cartilaginous structure which surrounds the thoracic cavity and supports the pectoral (shoulder) girdle. It is comprised of the 12 pairs of ribs, sternum, costal cartilages, and the 12 thoracic vertebrae.
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Not to be confused with Fuchsia.


Fascia (făsh'ē-ə), pl. fas·ci·ae (făsh'ē-ē), adj. fascial (făsh'ē-əl) (from latin: a band) is the soft tissue component of the connective tissue system that
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Circulatory System is a psychedelic rock musical ensemble formed by musician/painter Will Cullen Hart, and featuring Hannah Jones, Derek Almstead, Peter Erchick, John Fernandes, and Heather McIntosh.
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heart is a muscular organ responsible for pumping blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions, or a similar structure in the annelids, mollusks, and arthropods.
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The aorta (generally pronounced [eɪˈɔːtə] or "ay-orta") is the largest artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and bringing oxygenated blood to all parts of the body in the systemic circulation.
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The pulmonary arteries carry blood from the heart to the lungs. They are the only arteries (other than umbilical arteries in the fetus) that carry deoxygenated blood.

In the human heart, the pulmonary trunk (pulmonary artery or main pulmonary artery
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The superior vena cava is a large, yet short vein that carries de-oxygenated blood from the upper half of the body to the heart's right atrium.

It is formed by the left and right brachiocephalic veins, (also referred to as the innominate veins) which receive blood from the
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The inferior vena cava (or IVC) is the large vein that carries de-oxygenated blood from the lower half of the body into the heart.

It is posterior to the abdominal cavity and runs along side of the vertebral column on its right side (i.e. it is a retroperitoneal structure).
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The pulmonary veins carry oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart. They are the only veins in the post-fetal human body that carry oxygenated (red) blood.

The pulmonary veins return the oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart.
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The azygos vein is a vein running up the right side of the thoracic vertebral column.

Structure

The azygos vein transports deoxygenated blood from the posterior walls of the thorax and abdomen into the superior vena cava vein.
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respiratory system generally includes tubes, such as the bronchi, used to carry air to the lungs, where gas exchange takes place. A diaphragm pulls air in and pushes it out. Respiratory systems of various types are found in a wide variety of organisms.
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Trachea is a common biological term for an airway through which respiratory air transport takes place in organisms.
  • Vertebrate trachea, in terrestrial vertebrates, such as birds and mammals, the trachea allows oxygen and carbon dioxide to move from the throat to the lungs

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A bronchus (plural bronchi, adjective bronchial) is a caliber of airway in the respiratory tract that conducts air into the lungs. No gas exchange takes place in this part of the lungs.
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lungs flank the heart and great vessels in the chest cavity.[1]]]

The lung is the essential respiration organ in air-breathing vertebrates, the most primitive being the lungfish.
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The digestive system is the organ system that breaks down and absorbs nutrients that are essential for growth and maintenance. The digestive system includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, (intestines), rectum, and anus.
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The esophagus (also spelled oesophagus/œsophagus, Greek οἰσοφάγος), or gullet
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Endocrine glands are glands that secrete their product directly into the blood rather than through a duct. This group contains the glands of the Endocrine system.

External links

  • Endocrine+glands at eMedicine Dictionary

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thymus is an organ located in the upper anterior portion of the chest cavity just behind the sternum. Hormones produced by this organ stimulate the production of certain infection-fighting cells. It is of central importance in the maturation of T cells.
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nervous system of an animal coordinates the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and also stops input from the senses, and initiates actions. Prominent parts of a nervous system include neurons and nerves, which are used in coordination.
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The vagus nerve (also called pneumogastric nerve or cranial nerve X) is the tenth of twelve paired cranial nerves, and is the only nerve that starts in the brainstem (within the medulla oblongata) and extends, through the jugular foramen, down below the head, to the
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The sympathetic trunk (sympathetic chain, gangliated cord) is a bundle of nerve fibers that runs from the base of the skull to the coccyx. There are two sympathetic trunks in the body, a right one and a left one.
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The lymphatic system is a complex network of lymphoid organs, lymph nodes, lymph ducts, lymphatic tissues, lymph capillaries and lymph vessels that produce and transport lymph fluid from tissues to the circulatory system.
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In human anatomy, the thoracic duct is an important part of the lymphatic system—it is the largest lymphatic vessel in the body.

It collects most of the lymph in the body (except that from the right arm and the right side of the chest, neck and head, which is
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The mesothelium is a membrane that forms the lining of several body cavities: the pleura (thoracal cavity), peritoneum (abdominal cavity) and pericardium (heart sac). Mesothelial tissue also surrounds the male internal reproductive organs (the tunica vaginalis testis) and covers
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pleurae. The outer pleura is attached to the chest wall and is known as the parietal pleura; the inner one is attached to the lung and other visceral tissues and is known as the visceral pleura.
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The pericardium is a double-walled sac that contains the heart and the roots of the great vessels.

Layers

There are two layers to this sac: the fibrous pericardium and the serous pericardium.
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