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The pulmonary pleura covers the entire lung parenchyma. It meets the mediastinal pleura at the root of the lung ("hilum") through a smooth fold known as pleural reflection. A bell sleeve-like extension of the pulmonary pleura hanging under to the hilum is known as the pulmonary ligament.
The pleural cavity, or pleural space (or sometimes intrapleural space), is the potential space between the pleurae of the pleural sac that surrounds each lung. A small amount of serous pleural fluid is maintained in the pleural cavity to enable lubrication between the membranes , and also to create a pressure gradient .
The lungs are the largest organs in the lower respiratory tract. The lungs are suspended within the pleural cavity of the thorax. The pleurae are two thin membranes, one cell layer thick, which surround the lungs. The inner (visceral pleura) covers the lungs and the outer (parietal pleura) lines the inner surface of the chest wall. This ...
The function of the lungs can also be affected by compression from fluid in the pleural cavity pleural effusion, or other substances such as air (pneumothorax), blood , or rarer causes. These may be investigated using a chest X-ray or CT scan , and may require the insertion of a surgical drain until the underlying cause is identified and treated.
Lung parenchyma showing damage due to large subpleural bullae. Parenchyma (/ p ə ˈ r ɛ ŋ k ɪ m ə /) [1] [2] is the bulk of functional substance in an animal organ or structure such as a tumour. In zoology, it is the tissue that fills the interior of flatworms. In botany, it is some layers in the cross-section of the leaf. [3]
Zone 4 can be seen at the lung bases at low lung volumes or in pulmonary edema. Pulmonary interstitial pressure (Pi) rises as lung volume decreases due to reduced radial tethering of the lung parenchyma. Pi is highest at the base of the lung due to the weight of the above lung tissue.
Bullae can become extensive and combine to form giant bullae. These can be large enough to take up a third of a hemithorax, compress the lung parenchyma, and cause displacement. The emphysema is now termed giant bullous emphysema, more commonly called vanishing lung syndrome due to the compressed parenchyma. [28]
Restrictive lung diseases are a category of extrapulmonary, pleural, or parenchymal respiratory diseases that restrict lung expansion, [2] resulting in a decreased lung volume, an increased work of breathing, and inadequate ventilation and/or oxygenation. Pulmonary function test demonstrates a decrease in the forced vital capacity.