Thoracic cavity
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (May 2015) |
| Thoracic cavity | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | cavitas thoracis, cavum thoracis |
| MeSH | D035423 |
| TA98 | A01.1.00.049 A02.3.04.002 A07.0.00.000 |
| TA2 | 1097, 126 |
| FMA | 7565 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
costae (to the left on the picture (this is the anterior/front) and to the right (posterior/back)), you have the thoracic vertebrae
.The thoracic cavity (or chest cavity) is the
thoracic outlet
.
The thoracic cavity includes the tendons as well as the
cardiovascular system
which could be damaged from injury to the back, spine or the neck.
Structure
Structures within the thoracic cavity include:
- structures of the pulmonary veins, and the azygos vein
- structures of the lungs[1]
- structures of the digestive system, including the esophagus,
- thymus gland,
- structures of the sympathetic chains,
- lymphatics including the thoracic duct.
It contains three potential spaces lined with
inferior thoracic aperture
which is much larger than the inlet.
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.
Additional images
-
CT scan of the thorax (axial mediastinal window)
-
CT scan of the thorax (coronal lung window)
-
CT scan of the thorax (coronal mediastinal window)
-
Illustration of heart in thoracic cavity -
Illustration of heart position relative to the rib cage
See also
References
- S2CID 206938595.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thoracic cavity.
- thoraxlesson3 at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University)
