Many vital
organs are suspended in the ventral body cavity or
coelom. This cavity contains the organs of the respiratory,
cardiovascular, digestive, urinary and reproductive systems. The
ventral body cavity is divided by a muscular sheet called the
diaphragm into a superior thoracic cavity and an
inferior abdominopelvic cavity. The organs that project
into these cavities are called viscera (sing. viscus
(organ in Latin)).
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Thoracic Cavity
The thoracic cavity is divided into left and
right pleural cavities by the
mediastinum.
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Pleural cavity
contains the lungs and is lined by
serous membranes called pleurae
(sing. pleura (rib in Greek)).
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Mediastinum
(middle wall in Latin) consists of
all the organs between the pleural
cavities including the lower parts of
the esophagus and trachea, thymus, the
major blood vessels leaving the heart
and the pericardial cavity.
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Pericardial cavity contains
the heart and is lined by a
serous membrane called the
pericardium.
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