Pericardium

The pericardium or the pericardium ( pericardium Latin, Latin form of AltGr. Περί " around " and καρδιά "heart ") is a connective tissue sac that surrounds the heart and the heart is through a narrow sliding layer free movement capability. It contains as the lubricant a minor amount ( in humans 10-15 ml) of serous fluid (CSF pericardii ).

Anatomy

The pericardium surrounds the heart almost completely. Excluded are the outgoing vessels of the heart. The pericardium consists of two parts:

• The fibrous pericardium collagen fibers to protect against over-stretching of the heart,
• Between the fibrous pericardium and the heart lying serosum pericardium

The pericardium serosum, like all serous membranes, divided into two areas. The lamina visceral lies the heart directly and is also called the epicardium. The parietal layer is firmly adherent to the fibrous pericardium.

Between the two sheets are in humans at about 10-15 ml of serous fluid (CSF pericardii ). At the exit point of the vessels of the heart the leaves up around each other. This transition from the inner layer of the pericardium on the outer leaf is done in two separate envelope lines, one of which encloses the one all the other arteries and all veins.

By mapping from the pericardium to the heart are two free spaces arise in the pericardium. The sinus transversus pericardii ( the free area between the envelope lines) separates the outgoing vessels (aorta and pulmonary trunk in the Porta arteriosa ) of the afferent vessels ( inferior vena cava, the superior vena cava and pulmonary veins in the Porta venosa ). The sinus obliquus pericardii ( a bulge, which is formed by the veins surrounding envelope line) is located between the pulmonary veins leading to the heart.

The pericardium is innervated by a branch of the phrenic nerve ( ramus pericardiacus ). The pericardium serving vessel, the artery pericardiacophrenic, stems from the internal thoracic artery.

Diagnostics

The fastest you can represent the pericardial sac by ultrasound. Calcifications can be seen better in the X-ray image of the thorax ( chest) or in computed tomography. In effusions can be carried out a cytological examination of the fluid obtained by puncture.

Diseases

An inflammation of the pericardium is called pericarditis. You can by scarring to a hardened pericardial sac ( constrictive pericarditis ) or calcification ( calcific pericarditis, " armored heart " ) lead. The pathological increase of pericardial fluid or the collection of other body fluids in the pericardium are called pericardial effusion. They lead to cardiac tamponade.

The Dressler syndrome ( post myocardial infarction syndrome ) is characterized by anginal pain from after a heart attack. Tumors of the pericardium are rare.