Abdominal Cavity of Human Body Essays - Abdomen, Medicine, Anatomy

Abdominal Cavity of Human Body The abdominal cavity is a big body cavity that contains several organs . It is found below the thoracic cavity, and above the pelvic cavity. The thoracic diaphragm is a dome-shaped roof , thin sheet of muscle under the lungs, and its floor is the pelvic inlet, opening into the pelvis. The abdominal cavity contains a number of crucial organs including the lower part of the esophagus, the stomach, small intestine, colon, rectum, liver, gallblad der, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, bladder and adrenal glands . The abdominal cavity is protected by a membrane called the peritoneum. The inside wall is covered by the parietal peritoneum. The kidneys are placed in the abdominal cavity behind the peritoneum, in the retroperitoneum. The viscera are also protected by visceral peritoneum. Between the visceral and parietal peritoneum is found the peritoneal cavity, which is a potential space that contains serous fluid that allows motion. The peritoneum divides the cavity into numerous compartments. One of these the lesser sac is located behind the stomach and joins into the greater sac via the foramen of Winslow. One of the most used way of dividing the abdomen is by using 4 quadrants: right upper quadrant (RUQ) left upper quadrant (LUQ) right lower quadrant (RLQ) left lower quadrant (LLQ) Some of the organs are attached to the walls of the abdomen via folds of peritoneum and ligaments, such as the liver and others use broad areas of the peritoneum, such as the pancreas. The peritoneal ligaments are actually dense folds of the peritoneum that are used to connect viscera to viscera or viscera to the walls of the abdomen. They are named in such a way as to show what they connect typically. Mesenteries are pleats of peritoneum that are attached to the walls of the abdomen and enclose viscera completely. They are supplied with plentiful amounts of blood. The three most important mesenteries are mesentery for the small intes tine, the transverse mesocolon , and the mesosigmoid which enfolds the sigmoid portion of the colon . The omentum are specialized folds of peritoneum that enclose nerves, blood vessels, lymph channels, fatty tissue, and connective tissue. There are two omenta. First, is the greater omentum that hangs off of the small intestine and greater curvature of the stomach. The other is the lesser omentum that extends between the stomach and the liver . The disorder called peritonitis can be caused by damage to an organ, or from a contusion to the abdominal wall from the outside or by surgery. It may be brought in by the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. The most common origin is the gastrointestinal tract. Peritonitis can be acute or chronic, generalized, or localized, and may be have one origin or multiple origins. The omenta can help control the spread of infection . W ithout treatment, the infection will spread throughout the cavity. An abscess may form as a secondary reaction to an infection. Antibiotics have become an important instrument in fighting abscesses but external drain age is usually necessary also. References Thibodeau , P. ( n.d. ). Anatomy and Physiology (8th ed.). Elsevier. Bell, J. The Anatomy and Physiology of the Human Body, Volume 2. www.britannica.com