Peritoneal CavityThis is a featured page


Peritoneal Cavity
  • Is a potential space between the parietal and visceral peritoneum.
  • Contains a film of fluid that lubricates the surface of the peritoneum and facilitates free movements of the viscera.
  • Is a completely closed sac in the male but is open in the female through the uterine tubes, uterus, and vagina.
  • Is divided into the lesser and greater sacs.

Lesser sac (omental bursa)
  • Is an irregular space that lies behind the liver, lesser omentum, stomach, and upper anterior part of the greater omentum.
  • Is a closed sac, except for its communication with the greater sac through the epiploic (omental) foramen.
  • Presents three recesses: (a) superior recess , which lies behind the stomach, lesser omentum, and left of the liver; (b) inferior recess , which lies behind the stomach, extending into the layers of the greater omentum; and (c) splenic recess , which extends to the left at the hilus of the spleen.

Greater sac
  • Extends across the entire breadth of the abdomen and from the diaphragm to the pelvic floor.
  • Presents numerous recesses into which pus from an abscess may be drained.

Subphrenic (suprahepatic) recess
  • Is a peritoneal pocket between the diaphragm and the anterior and superior part of the liver.
  • Is separated into right and left recesses by the falciform ligament.

Subhepatic recess or hepatorenal recess (Morrison's pouch)
  • Is a deep peritoneal pocket between the liver anteriorly and the kidney and suprarenal gland posteriorly.
  • Communicates with the lesser sac via the epiploic foramen and the right paracolic gutter, thus the pelvic cavity.
Paracolic recesses (gutters)
  • Lie lateral to the ascending colon (right paracolic gutter) and lateral to the descending colon (left paracolic gutter).

Epiploic or omental (Winslow's) foramen
  • Is a natural opening between the lesser and greater sacs.
  • Is bounded superiorly by peritoneum on the caudate lobe of the liver, inferiorly by peritoneum on the first part of the duodenum , anteriorly by the free edge of the lesser omentum , and posteriorly by peritoneum covering the inferior vena cava (IVC).


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AndyC
AndyC 		Latest page update: made by AndyC , Oct 18 2010, 9:01 PM EDT (about this update About This Update AndyC Edited by AndyC

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