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Visceral pain is pain that results from the activation of nociceptors of the thoracic, pelvic, or abdominal viscera (organs). Visceral structures are highly sensitive to distension (stretch), ischemia and inflammation, but relatively insensitive to other stimuli that normally evoke pain such as cutting or burning.
The thoracic cavity (or chest cavity) is the chamber of the body of vertebrates that is protected by the thoracic wall (rib cage and associated skin, muscle, and fascia). The central compartment of the thoracic cavity is the mediastinum .
In the thoracic cavity, the heart is a hollow, muscular organ. [7] Splanchnology is the study of the viscera. [8] The term "visceral" is contrasted with the term "parietal", meaning "of or relating to the wall of a body part, organ or cavity". [9]
The pleura typically dips between the lobes of the lung as fissures, and is formed by the invagination of lung buds into each thoracic sac during embryonic development. [2] The portion of the pleura seen as the outer layer covers the chest wall, the diaphragm and the mediastinum and is often also misleadingly called the parietal pleura .
The thoracic cavity is separated from the abdominopelvic cavity by the diaphragm. The thoracic cavity is further separated into the pleural cavity which contains the lungs and the superior mediastinum which includes the pericardial (heart) cavity. The organs within the ventral body cavity are called the viscera.
Serous membranes have two layers. 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. [4]
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The mediastinum (from Medieval Latin: mediastinus, lit. 'midway'; [2] pl.: mediastina) is the central compartment of the thoracic cavity.Surrounded by loose connective tissue, it is a region that contains vital organs and structures within the thorax, namely the heart and its vessels, the esophagus, the trachea, the vagus, phrenic and cardiac nerves, the thoracic duct, the thymus and the lymph ...