What are serous membranes?

What are serous membranes?

Serous membranes are membranes lining closed internal body cavities. The pleura, pericardium and peritoneum are serous membranes that line respectively the pleural, pericardial and peritoneal cavities. Serous membranes secrete a slight amount of lubricating fluid. This also explains the name ‘serous membrane’.

What is the visceral pericardium membrane?

Visceral pericardium is both the inner layer of the pericardium and the outer layer of the heart wall. Also known as the epicardium, this layer protects the inner heart layers and also assists in the production of pericardial fluid.

What is the primary function of the parietal layer of a serous membrane?

The part that envelops the outside of an organ is known as the visceral layer, and the one lining a part of or all of a body cavity is called the parietal layer. The main role of a serous membrane is to secrete a lubricating fluid, called serous fluid, to prevent internal organs from being rubbed raw.

Where is the visceral serous membrane found?

Pleurae are serous membranes that separate the lungs and the wall of the thoracic cavity. The visceral pleura covers the surface of the lungs, and the parietal pleura covers the inside of the thorax, mediastinum, and diaphragm. A thin film of serous fluid fills the space between the two pleurae.

What is the difference between visceral and parietal membranes?

The serous membrane that covers internal organs is called a visceral membrane; while the one that covers the cavity wall is called the parietal membrane.

What is the difference between serous membrane and visceral membrane?

The visceral serous membrane is one of the two forms of serous membranes. The word ‘viscera’ means ‘organs’. Hence, the serous membrane that covers the internal organs is the visceral serous membrane.

What kind of membrane is the visceral pleura?

The word ‘viscera’ means ‘organs’. Hence, the serous membrane that covers the internal organs is the visceral serous membrane. Visceral serous membrane originates from the splanchnic mesoderm. There are three main types of visceral serous membranes: visceral pleura, visceral pericardium and visceral peritoneum.

How is the parietal membrane different from the visceral membrane?

The serous membrane forms two layers as the visceral membrane and parietal membrane. Visceral membrane covers organs in body cavities while parietal membrane lines the wall of the body cavity. In between two serous membranes, there is a very thin fluid-filled serous space. Serous membranes secrete this fluid to reduce the friction between them.

Which is serous membrane covers the internal organs?

Hence, the serous membrane that covers the internal organs is the visceral serous membrane. Visceral serous membrane originates from the splanchnic mesoderm. There are three main types of visceral serous membranes: visceral pleura, visceral pericardium and visceral peritoneum. Visceral pleura covers the lungs.

What is the difference between parietal and visceral membrane?

The key difference between visceral and parietal serous membranes is that visceral serous membranes cover the organs while parietal serous membranes line the walls of the body cavity. The serous membrane is a single layer of flattened mesothelial cells.

What does the visceral membrane cover?

The parietal layers of the membranes line the walls of the body cavity (pariet- refers to a cavity wall). The visceral layer of the membrane covers the organs (the viscera). Between the parietal and visceral layers is a very thin, fluid-filled serous space, or cavity.

What membrane is constructed of a visceral and parietal layer?

In anatomy, serous membrane (or serosa) is a smooth tissue membrane consisting of two layers of mesothelium, which secrete serous fluid. The inner layer that covers organs (viscera) in body cavities is called the visceral membrane. A second layer of epithelial cells of the serous membrane, called the parietal layer, lines the body wall.

What is the difference between parietal and visceral?

The main difference between visceral and parietal is that visceral is one of the two layers of the serous membrane, covering the organs, whereas parietal is the second layer of the serous membrane, lining the walls of the body cavity. Therefore, the term ‘visceral’ is used to describe…