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The pericardium (pl.: pericardia), also called pericardial sac, is a double-walled sac containing the heart and the roots of the great vessels. [1] It has two layers, an outer layer made of strong inelastic connective tissue (fibrous pericardium), and an inner layer made of serous membrane (serous pericardium).
The heart is a muscular organ situated in the mediastinum.It consists of four chambers, four valves, two main arteries (the coronary arteries), and the conduction system. The left and right sides of the heart have different functions: the right side receives de-oxygenated blood through the superior and inferior venae cavae and pumps blood to the lungs through the pulmonary artery, and the left ...
The right coronary sulcus begins anteriorly and superiorly on the sternocostal surface of the heart. Its position is marked by the location of the right coronary artery, and small cardiac vein. The right coronary sulcus separates the right atrium and its atrial appendage from the right ventricle inferiorly. The right coronary sulcus then passes ...
Its under surface is flattened, forming part of the diaphragmatic surface of the heart that rests upon the diaphragm. Its posterior wall is formed by the ventricular septum , which bulges into the right ventricle, so that a transverse section of the cavity presents a semilunar outline.
The back surface of the heart lies near the vertebral column, and the front surface known as the sternocostal surface sits behind the sternum and rib cartilages. [8] The upper part of the heart is the attachment point for several large blood vessels—the venae cavae , aorta and pulmonary trunk .
Coronary vessel branches that remain on the surface of the heart and follow the sulci of the heart are called epicardial coronary arteries. [1] The left coronary artery distributes blood to the left side of the heart, the left atrium and ventricle, and the interventricular septum.
A serous membrane lines the pericardial cavity of the heart, and reflects back to cover the heart, much like an under-inflated balloon would form two layers surrounding a fist. Called the pericardium, this serous membrane is a two-layered sac that surrounds the entire heart except where blood vessels emerge on the heart's superior side; [4]
In patients with ischemic heart disease there is an accumulation of angiogenic growth factors in the pericardial fluid. These contribute to angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels) and arteriogenesis (the increase in diameter of existing arterioles). This helps to prevent myocardial ischemia (lack of oxygen to the heart). [6]