Anatomy of the Thoracic Wall, Pulmonary Cavities, and Mediastinum
This chapter will review the mediastinum and pulmonary cavities within the thorax and discuss their contents. The wall of the thorax and its associated muscles, nerves, and vessels will be covered in relationship to respiration. The surface anatomical lan
- PDF / 3,085,467 Bytes
- 26 Pages / 595.28 x 790.87 pts Page_size
- 64 Downloads / 204 Views
4
Mark S. Cook and Anthony J. Weinhaus
Abstract
This chapter will review the mediastinum and pulmonary cavities within the thorax and discuss their contents. The wall of the thorax and its associated muscles, nerves, and vessels will be covered in relationship to respiration. The surface anatomical landmarks that designate deeper anatomical structures and sites of access and auscultation will be reviewed. The goal of this chapter is to provide a complete picture of the thorax and its contents, with detailed anatomy of thoracic structures excluding the heart. Keywords
Thorax • Cardiac anatomy • Thoracic wall • Superior mediastinum • Middle mediastinum • Anterior mediastinum • Posterior mediastinum • Pleura • Lungs
4.1
Introduction
The thorax is the body cavity, surrounded by the bony rib cage, that contains the heart and the lungs, the great vessels, the esophagus and trachea, the thoracic duct, and the autonomic innervation for these structures. The inferior boundary of the thoracic cavity is the respiratory diaphragm, which separates the thoracic and abdominal cavities. Superiorly, the thorax communicates with the root of the neck and the upper extremity. The wall of the thorax contains the muscles that assist with respiration and those connecting the upper extremity to the axial skeleton. The wall of the thorax is responsible for protecting the contents of the thoracic cavity and for generating the negative pressure required for respiration. The thorax is covered by muscle, superficial fascia containing the mammary tissue, and skin. A detailed description of cardiac anatomy is the subject of Chap. 5.
M.S. Cook, PT, PhD (*) • A.J. Weinhaus, PhD Program in Human Anatomy Education, Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, 6-125 Jackson Hall, 321 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA e-mail: [email protected]
4.2
Overview of the Thorax
Anatomically, the thorax is typically divided into compartments—the pleural cavities and the mediastinum. The two pleural cavities contain the lungs and their pleural coverings. The space between the pleural cavities is the mediastinum, which contains all the other structures found in the thorax (Fig. 4.1). The mediastinum is divided into the superior and inferior compartments by a plane referred to as the transverse thoracic plane, passing through the mediastinum at the level of the sternal angle and the junction of the T4 and T5 vertebrae (Fig. 4.1). The superior mediastinum contains the major vessels supplying the upper extremity, the neck, and the head. The inferior mediastinum, the space between the transverse thoracic plane and the diaphragm, is further divided into the anterior, middle, and posterior mediastinum. The middle mediastinum is the space containing the heart and pericardium. The anterior mediastinum is the space between the pericardium and the sternum. The posterior mediastinum extends from the posterior pericardium to the posterior wall of the thorax. The inferior aperture of the thorax is formed by the lower margin of
Data Loading...
