Quick Answer: What Is A Pleura In Anatomy?

The pleura is a serous membrane which folds back onto itself to form a two-layered membrane structure. The thin space is known as the pleural cavity and contains a small amount of pleural fluid (few milliliters in a normal human). The outer pleura is attached to the chest wall (1-9).

What are the pleura?

The chest cavity is lined by a thin shiny membrane called the pleura, which covers the inside surface of the rib cage and spreads over the lungs as well. Normally, the pleura produces a small amount of fluid which serves as a lubricant to the lungs as they move back and forth against the chest wall during respiration.

What is the pleura and what is its function?

The pleura includes two thin layers of tissue that protect and cushion the lungs. The inner layer (visceral pleura) wraps around the lungs and is stuck so tightly to the lungs that it cannot be peeled off. The outer layer (parietal pleura) lines the inside of the chest wall.

What is pleura in medical terms?

(PLOOR-uh) A thin layer of tissue that covers the lungs and lines the interior wall of the chest cavity. It protects and cushions the lungs. This tissue secretes a small amount of fluid that acts as a lubricant, allowing the lungs to move smoothly in the chest cavity while breathing.

What is a pleura and what are the types?

There are two pleurae, one for each lung, and each pleura is a single membrane that folds back on itself to form two layers. The visceral pleura is the thin, slippery membrane that covers the surface of the lungs and dips into the areas separating the different lobes of the lungs (called the hilum).

What is the mediastinum?

The mediastinum is a division of the thoracic cavity; it contains the heart, thymus gland, portions of the esophagus and trachea, and other structures.

Where is pleura in the body?

There are two layers; the outer pleura (parietal pleura) is attached to the chest wall and the inner pleura (visceral pleura) covers the lungs and adjoining structures, via blood vessels, bronchi and nerves.

What is the main function of pleura?

The function of the pleura is to allow optimal expansion and contraction of the lungs during breathing. The pleural fluid acts as a lubricant, allowing the parietal and visceral pleura to glide over each other friction free.

What type of tissue is pleura?

The pleura consists of a visceral and parietal layer that is composed of a continuous surface epithelium of mesothelial cells and underlying connective tissue. The visceral pleura covers the lungs and interlobar fissures, whereas the parietal pleura lines the ribs, diaphragm, and mediastinum.

What does the mediastinum contain?

The mediastinum houses many vital structures including the heart, great vessels, trachea, and essential nerves. It also functions as a protected pathway for structures traversing from the neck, superiorly, and into the abdomen, inferiorly.

What is an example of pleura?

The thin serous membrane that covers a lung and lines the chest cavity in mammals. A membrane that encloses each lung and lines the chest cavity. A thin serous membrane in mammals that envelops each lung and folds back to make a lining for the chest cavity.

What is the lining of the lung called?

The pleura is the thin membrane that lines the outside of the lungs and the inside of the chest cavity. Pleurisy is an inflammation (swelling or irritation) of these two layers of tissue. The pleural space is a thin area between the chest lining and the membrane that lines the lungs.

Which is wrong for pleura?

Many different conditions can cause pleural problems. Viral infection is the most common cause of pleurisy. The most common cause of pleural effusion is congestive heart failure. Lung diseases, like COPD, tuberculosis, and acute lung injury, cause pneumothorax.

What are pleural recesses?

The pleural recesses are potential spaces within the thoracic cavity where, particularly in expiration, the visceral and parietal pleura are relatively distant. Such is the negative pressure of the serous fluid lining the cavity with the lung relatively contracted, that parietal pleura may be drawn inwards.