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The abdominal cavity is the body cavity
Body cavity

By the broadest definition, a 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 and the outer lining of the gut cavity, where internal organs develop....
 of the human body (and animal bodies) that holds the bulk of the viscera
Viscus

In anatomy, a viscus is an internal organ of an animal , in particular an internal organ of the thorax or abdomen. The viscera, when removed from a butchered animal, are known collectively as offal....
 and which is located below (or inferior
Anatomical terms of location

Standard anatomical terms of location are employed in sciences dealing with the anatomy of animals to avoid ambiguities which might otherwise arise....
 to) the thoracic cavity
Thoracic cavity

The thoracic cavity is the body cavity of the human body that is protected by the thoracic wall ....
, and above the pelvic cavity
Pelvic cavity

The pelvic cavity is a body cavity that is bounded by the bones of the pelvis and which primarily contains reproductive organs, the urinary bladder, and the rectum....
. It is a part of the abdominopelvic cavity
Abdominopelvic cavity

The abdominopelvic cavity is a body cavity that consists of the abdominal cavity and the pelvic cavity....
.

Organs of the abdominal cavity include the stomach
Stomach

In most mammals, the stomach is a hollow muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication....
, liver
Liver

The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals; it has a wide range of functions, a few of which are detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion....
, gallbladder
Gallbladder

The gallbladder is a small non-vital Organ which aids in the digestive process and concentrates bile produced in the liver....
, spleen
Spleen

The spleen is an organ found in all vertebrate animals. In humans, the spleen is located in the abdomen of the body, where it functions in the destruction of redundant red blood cells, and holds a reservoir of blood....
, pancreas
Pancreas

The pancreas is a gland Organ in the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland , as well as an exocrine gland, secreting pancreatic juice containing Digestion enzymes that pass to the small intestine....
, small intestine
Small intestine

In vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, birds, and bony fish, the small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract following the stomach, and is where the vast majority of digestion takes place....
, kidneys, and large intestine
Large intestine

The large intestine is the last part of the digestive system?the final stage of the alimentary canal?in vertebrate animals. Its function is to absorb water from the remaining indigestible food matter, and then to pass this useless feces from the body....
.

The abdominal cavity is lined with a protective membrane termed the peritoneum
Peritoneum

In higher vertebrates, the peritoneum is the serous membrane that forms the lining of the abdomen — it covers most of the intra-abdominal organs....
. The kidney
Kidney

The kidneys are Organ that have numerous biological roles. Their primary role is to maintain the homeostasis balance of bodily fluids by filtering and secreting Metabolomics#Metabolitess and minerals from the blood and excreting them, along with water , as urine....
s are located in the abdominal cavity behind the peritoneum, in the retroperitoneum
Retroperitoneum

The retroperitoneum is the anatomical space in the abdominal cavity behind the peritoneum. It has no specific delineating anatomical structures....
.






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Encyclopedia


The abdominal cavity is the body cavity
Body cavity

By the broadest definition, a 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 and the outer lining of the gut cavity, where internal organs develop....
 of the human body (and animal bodies) that holds the bulk of the viscera
Viscus

In anatomy, a viscus is an internal organ of an animal , in particular an internal organ of the thorax or abdomen. The viscera, when removed from a butchered animal, are known collectively as offal....
 and which is located below (or inferior
Anatomical terms of location

Standard anatomical terms of location are employed in sciences dealing with the anatomy of animals to avoid ambiguities which might otherwise arise....
 to) the thoracic cavity
Thoracic cavity

The thoracic cavity is the body cavity of the human body that is protected by the thoracic wall ....
, and above the pelvic cavity
Pelvic cavity

The pelvic cavity is a body cavity that is bounded by the bones of the pelvis and which primarily contains reproductive organs, the urinary bladder, and the rectum....
. It is a part of the abdominopelvic cavity
Abdominopelvic cavity

The abdominopelvic cavity is a body cavity that consists of the abdominal cavity and the pelvic cavity....
.

Organs of the abdominal cavity include the stomach
Stomach

In most mammals, the stomach is a hollow muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication....
, liver
Liver

The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals; it has a wide range of functions, a few of which are detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion....
, gallbladder
Gallbladder

The gallbladder is a small non-vital Organ which aids in the digestive process and concentrates bile produced in the liver....
, spleen
Spleen

The spleen is an organ found in all vertebrate animals. In humans, the spleen is located in the abdomen of the body, where it functions in the destruction of redundant red blood cells, and holds a reservoir of blood....
, pancreas
Pancreas

The pancreas is a gland Organ in the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland , as well as an exocrine gland, secreting pancreatic juice containing Digestion enzymes that pass to the small intestine....
, small intestine
Small intestine

In vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, birds, and bony fish, the small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract following the stomach, and is where the vast majority of digestion takes place....
, kidneys, and large intestine
Large intestine

The large intestine is the last part of the digestive system?the final stage of the alimentary canal?in vertebrate animals. Its function is to absorb water from the remaining indigestible food matter, and then to pass this useless feces from the body....
.

The abdominal cavity is lined with a protective membrane termed the peritoneum
Peritoneum

In higher vertebrates, the peritoneum is the serous membrane that forms the lining of the abdomen — it covers most of the intra-abdominal organs....
. The kidney
Kidney

The kidneys are Organ that have numerous biological roles. Their primary role is to maintain the homeostasis balance of bodily fluids by filtering and secreting Metabolomics#Metabolitess and minerals from the blood and excreting them, along with water , as urine....
s are located in the abdominal cavity behind the peritoneum, in the retroperitoneum
Retroperitoneum

The retroperitoneum is the anatomical space in the abdominal cavity behind the peritoneum. It has no specific delineating anatomical structures....
. The viscera are also covered, in the front, with a layer of peritoneum called the greater omentum
Greater omentum

The greater omentum is a large fold of peritoneum that hangs down from the stomach, and extends from the stomach to the posterior abdominal wall after associating with the transverse colon....
 (or omental apron).

See also

  • Human abdomen
    Human abdomen

    The human abdomen is the part of the body between the pelvis and the chest. Anatomically, the abdomen stretches from the thorax at the thoracic diaphragm to the pelvis at the pelvic brim....
  • Human body cavities
    Human body cavities

    The human body consists of the following body cavities:*dorsal body cavity**cranial cavity, enclosed by the Skull and contains the brain, eyes, and ears....
  • Coelom
    Coelom

    The coelom is a fluid filled cavity formed within the mesoderm. Coeloms developed in triploblasts but were subsequently lost in several lineages....