Thoracic cavity

Thoracic Cavity

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Thoracic cavity

The thoracic cavity (or chest cavity) is the chamber

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 other animal bodies) that is protected by the thoracic wall

Thoracic wall

The thoracic wall is the boundary of the thoracic cavity.The bony portion is known as the thoracic cage. However, the wall also includes muscle, skin, and fascia....
(thoracic cage and associated skin, muscle, and fascia

Fascia

Fascia , pl. fas?ci?ae , adj. fascial is the soft tissue component of the connective tissue system that permeates the human body....
).

ctures within the thoracic cavity include:

It contains three potential spaces lined with mesothelium

Mesothelium

The mesothelium is a membrane that forms the lining of several body cavities: the pleura , peritoneum and pericardium . Mesothelial tissue also surrounds the male internal reproductive organs and covers the internal reproductive organs of women ....
: the paired pleural cavities

Pleural cavity

In human anatomy, the pleural cavity is the body cavity that surrounds the lungs. The lungs are surrounded by the pleurae, a serous membrane which folds back upon itself to form a two-layered, membrane structure....
and the pericardial cavity

Pericardium

The pericardium is a double-walled sac that contains the heart and the roots of the great vessels....
. The mediastinum

Mediastinum

The mediastinum is a non-delineated group of structures in the thorax , surrounded by loose connective tissue. It is the central compartment of the thoracic cavity....
comprises those organs which lie in the centre of the chest between the lungs.

thoracic cavity is separated from the abdominal cavity

Abdominal cavity

The abdominal cavity is the body cavity of the human body that holds the bulk of the viscus and which is located below the thoracic cavity, and above the pelvic cavity....
by the diaphragm.

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Components

Structures within the thoracic cavity include:

structures of the cardiovascular system, including the heart
Heart

The heart is a muscle organ in all vertebrates responsible for pumping blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions, or a similar structure in annelids, mollusks, and arthropods....
and great vessels, which include the thoracic aorta
Aorta

The aorta 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....
, the pulmonary artery
Pulmonary artery

The pulmonary arteries carry blood from heart to the lungs. They are the only artery that carry deoxygenated blood.In the human heart, the pulmonary trunk begins at the base of the right ventricle....
and all its branches, the superior
Superior vena cava

The superior vena cava is a large, yet short vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the upper half of the body to the heart's right atrium....
and inferior vena cava
Inferior vena cava

The inferior vena cava is the large vein that carries de-oxygenated blood from the lower half of the body into the right atrium of the heart....
, the pulmonary veins, and the azygos vein
Azygos vein

The azygos vein is a vein running up the right side of the thoracic vertebral column. It can also provide an alternate path for blood to the superior vena cava....
structures of the respiratory system
Respiratory system

A respiratory system?s function is to allow gas exchange. The space between the alveoli and the capillaries, the anatomy or structure of the exchange system, and the precise physiological uses of the exchanged gases vary depending on the organism....
, including the trachea
Vertebrate trachea

The traceartes, or windpipe, is a tube that has an inner diameter of about 20-25 mm and a length of about 10-16 cm in humans. It commences at the larynx and bifurcates into the primary bronchus in mammals, and from the pharynx to the syrinx in birds, allowing the passage of air to the lungs....
, bronchi and lungs
structures of the digestive system, including the esophagus
Esophagus

The esophagus or oesophagus , sometimes known as the gullet, is an Organ in vertebrates which consists of a Muscle tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach....
,
endocrine glands, including the thymus gland,
structures of the nervous system
Nervous system

The nervous system is a Neural network of specialized cells that communicate information about an animal's surroundings and itself. It processes this information and causes reactions in other parts of the body....
including the paired vagus nerves, and the paired sympathetic chains,
lymphatics including the thoracic duct
Thoracic duct

In human anatomy, the thoracic duct is an important part of the lymphatic system—it is the largest lymphatic vessel in the body. It is also known under various other names including the alimentary duct, chyliferous duct, duct of Pecquet, the left lymphatic duct and Van Hoorne's canal....
.

It contains three potential spaces lined with mesothelium

Mesothelium

Pleural cavity

Pericardium

The pericardium is a double-walled sac that contains the heart and the roots of the great vessels....
. The mediastinum

Mediastinum

Boundaries

The thoracic cavity is separated from the abdominal cavity

Abdominal cavity

The abdominal cavity is the body cavity of the human body that holds the bulk of the viscus and which is located below the thoracic cavity, and above the pelvic cavity....
by the diaphragm. The thoracic inlet is the upper limit of the thoracic cavity, formed by the manubrium

Manubrium

The manubrium or manubrium sterni is the broad, upper part of the sternum. With a quadrangular shape, wider superiorly and narrower inferiorly, it articulates with the clavicles and the first two ribs....
in front, the first rib

Rib

In vertebrate anatomy, ribs are the long curved bones which form the ribcage. In most vertebrates, ribs surround the chest and protect the lungs, heart, and other internal Organ s of the thorax....
s laterally, and the spine

Vertebral column

In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column of 24 vertebrae, the sacrum, intervertebral discs, and the coccyx situated in the dorsum aspect of the torso, separated by spinal discs....
posteriorly.

Clinical significance

If the pleural cavity is breached from the outside, as by a bullet wound or knife wound, a pneumothorax

Pneumothorax

In medicine , a pneumothorax, or collapsed lung, is a potential medical emergency caused by accumulation of air or gas in the pleural cavity....
, 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

(also known as "thoracic wall")