Thoracic Cavity

thoracic cavity

 or chest cavity

Second largest hollow space of the body, enclosed by the ribs, vertebral column, and breastbone and separated from the abdominal cavity by the diaphragm. It contains the lungs and bronchi, part of the esophagus and trachea, and the heart and major blood vessels. A membrane called the pleura lines the cavity (parietal pleura) and continues over the lung (visceral pleura) and the rest of the cavity's contents, defining a space called the mediastinum. Disorders include blood (hemothorax) or air (pneumothorax, which can lead to atelectasis) in the pleural cavity and inflammation of the pleura (pleurisy).

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thoracic cavity [thə′ras·ik ′kav·əd·ē]

(anatomy)

thorax

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Thoracic Cavity 

the anterior (in man, the superior) portion of the body cavity in mammals, separated from the abdominal cavity by the diaphragm.

The respiratory tract, lungs, esophagus, heart, thymus, and the bronchial and lymph nodes are all located in the thoracic cavity; blood vessels, lymphatic vessels, and nerves pass through it as well. The space in the thoracic cavity between the concave inner surfaces of the lungs, in which (in a special pericardial cavity) the heart is located, is called the mediastinum. The thoracic cavity is lined with a serous membrane called the pleura. The lungs are enclosed in the so-called pleural cavities, which are separate in man but communicate with one another in the majority of mammals. The shape of the thoracic cavity depends upon the shape of the thorax and the position of the diaphragm.