Body Cavities Flashcards
What are body cavities?
Internal spaces lined by a membrane. Open cavities are open to the external environment and lined by an epithelium. Closed cavities are entered only by cutting through a membrane.
Examples of open cavities
Oral cavity, inside the stomach, inside the lungs, inside the bladder.
Examples of closed cavities
Thoracic cavity, abdominopelvic cavity (must cut through a serous membrane), cranial cavity, spinal cavity (must cut through the meninges).
What are the two dorsal cavities?
Cranial cavity and spinal cavity.
What are the two ventral cavities?
Thoracic cavity and abdominopelvic cavity.
Subdivisions of the thoracic cavity
Pleural cavity, pericardial cavity, mediastinum.
Subdivisions of the abdominopelvic cavity
Abdominal cavity, pelvic cavity.
What is contained in the mediastinum?
Center of thoracic cavity, contains all organs between the lungs.
What is contained in the cranial cavity?
Contains brain, protected by meninges.
What is contained in the spinal cavity?
Contains spinal cord, protected by meninges.
What is the diaphragm?
Separates thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities.
What is contained in the abdominal cavity?
Contains mostly digestive organs, encased by peritoneum.
What is contained in the pelvic cavity?
Contains bladder and reproductive organs, encased by peritoneum.
