Body Cavities.

What is the abdominal cavity?

The partially closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space which houses certain internal organs, the stomach, liver, intestines, and spleen; its lining is a serous membrane, a portion of the peritoneal membrane; it is located superiorly within the abdominopelvic cavity, bounded superiorly by the diaphragm muscle and inferiorly by the pelvic cavity, with which it is continuous; it provides a protected space for those organs.

What is the pelvic cavity?

The partially closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space which houses some of the reproductive organs, the urinary bladder, and the distal colon; its lining is a serous membrane, a portion of the peritoneal membrane; it is located inferiorly within the abdominopelvic cavity, bounded superiorly by the abdominal cavity, with which it is continuous, and inferiorly by the walls of the pelvic girdle and its musculature; it provides a protected space for those organs.

What is within the pelvic cavity?

The pelvic cavity contains the bladder, reproductive organs, and the rectum.

What is within the cranial cavity?

Cranial cavity contains the brain.

What is within the abdominal cavity?

The abdominal cavity contains the digestive viscera.

What is mediastinum?

The closed sterile anatomical space, not lined by a serous membrane, a subdivision of the ventral body cavity and of the thoracic cavity, which houses the heart in its pericardial sac, the great vessels, the trachea, the esophagus, and the thymus; it is located medially between the two pleural cavities to the right and left and between the thoracic vertebral column and the sternum.

What is the dorsal body cavity?

The closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space which houses the central nervous system; its lining are the three connective tissue layers known as the meninges; it is located medially on the posterior of the head and trunk and housed within the confines of the skull and vertebrae; it is arbitrarily subdivided into a cranial cavity containing the brain and a vertebral cavity containing the spinal cord and the roots of the spinal nerves.

What is the abdominopelvic cavity?

The closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space which houses various internal organs, particularly those of the digestive system; its lining is a serous membrane, the peritoneal membrane; it is located medially on the anterior of the trunk, inferior to the thoracic cavity, and housed within the confines of the trunk musculature; it is arbitrarily subdivided into (1) an abdominal cavity containing the stomach, liver, intestines, and spleen (2) a pelvic cavity containing some of the reproductive organs, the urinary bladder, and the distal colon; it provides a protected space for those organs.

What is the ventral body cavity?

The closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space which houses various internal organs; its lining are various serous membranes; it is located medially on the anterior of the trunk and housed within the confines of the rib cage and trunk musculature; it is subdivided into (1) a thoracic cavity containing the lungs, heart, and the organs of the mediastinum, and (2) an abdominopelvic cavity with two partially separated subcompartments: (a) an abdominal cavity containing the stomach, liver, intestines, and spleen, and (b) a pelvic cavity containing some of the reproductive organs, the urinary bladder, and the distal colon; this cavity provides a protected space for those organs.

What is the pericardial cavity?

The closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space, a subdivision of the ventral body cavity and of the thoracic cavity, which houses the heart; its lining is the serous membrane known as the pericardial membrane; it is located within the inferior portion of the mediastinum on the anterior of the trunk and beneath the sternum within the confines of the rib cage; it provides a protected, lubricated space for the heart to contract.

What is the thoracic cavity?

The closed, partially membrane-lined sterile anatomical space, a subdivision of the ventral body cavity, which houses the lungs, heart, and the organs of the mediastinum; its linings are the three serous membranes known as the pleural membranes and the pericardial membrane; it is located medially on the anterior of the trunk and housed within the confines of the rib cage; it provides a protected space for those organs.

What is within the dorsal body cavity?

The cranial cavity and the vertebral cavity.

What is the diaphragm?

The diaphragm is the dome-shaped sheet of muscle and tendon that serves as the main muscle of respiration and plays a vital role in the breathing process.

What is the vertebral cavity?

The partially closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space, a subdivision of the dorsal body cavity, which houses the inferior portion of the central nervous system, i.e., the spinal cord; its lining are the three connective tissue layers known as the spinal meninges, i.e., the dura mater, arachnoid, and pia mater; it is located medially on the posterior of the trunk and housed within the confines of the vertebrae; it contains the spinal cord, various spinal blood vessels, adipose tissue, and the roots of the spinal nerves; it provides a protected space for the spinal cord.

What is the cranial cavity?

The partially closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical space, a subdivision of the dorsal body cavity, which houses the superior portion of the central nervous system, i.e., the brain; its lining are the three connective tissue layers known as the cerebral meninges, i.e., the dura mater, arachnoid, and pia mater; it is located medially on the posterior of the head and housed within the confines of the skull; it contains the brain, various cerebral blood vessels, the pituitary gland, and the roots of the cranial nerves; it provides a protected space for the brain.

What is within the thoracic cavity?

The thoracic cavity contains the heart and the lungs.

What is the pleural cavity?

The two closed, membrane-lined sterile anatomical spaces, subdivisions of the ventral body cavity and of the thoracic cavity, which houses the right and left lungs respectively; its lining is the serous membrane known as the pleural membrane; it is located lateral to the mediastinum and pericardial sac on the anterior of the trunk and housed within the confines of the rib cage; it provides a protected space for the lungs.

What are the cavities within the thoracic cavity?

There is the superior mediastinum, the pleural cavity and the pericardial cavity within the mediastinum.

What is within the ventral body cavity?

Thoracic cavity and abdominopelvic cavities.

What is within the vertebral cavity?

Vertebral cavity contains the spinal cord.