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1.8: Body Cavities

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    Body Cavities

    The major cavities of the human body are the spaces left over when the internal organs are removed. There are two main cavities: dorsal and ventral. The dorsal cavity is further divided into the cranial cavity and the vertebral/spinal cavity. The ventral body cavity is further divided into the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities that are further subdivided into smaller cavities.

    Body cavities

    1. dorsal body cavity–the cranial cavity and the spinal cavity in combination.
      • cranial cavity–the space occupied by the brain, enclosed by the skull bones.
      • vertebral/ spinal cavity–the space occupied by the spinal cord enclosed by the vertebrae column making up the backbone. The spinal cavity is continuous with the cranial cavity.
    2. ventral body cavity–the thoracic cavity, the abdominal cavity, and the pelvic cavity in combination.
      • thoracic cavity–the space occupied by the ventral internal organs superior to the diaphragm.
        • right pleural cavity and left pleural cavity - the space occupied by the right lung and the left lung, respectively.
        • mediastinum - the space located between the right pleural cavity and the left pleural cavity.
          • pericardial cavity - space inside of the mediastinum occupied by the heart.
      • abdominopelvic cavity–the abdominal cavity and the pelvic cavity in combination.
      • ​​​​​​​abdominal cavity–the space occupied by the ventral internal organs inferior to the diaphragm and superior to the pelvic cavity.
      • ​​​​​​​pelvic cavity - the space occupied by the internal organs inferior to the abdominal cavity and cradled by the pelvis.

    Two human figures showing the dorsal and ventral body cavities and their divisions.

    Two human figures showing distinctions between thoracic and abdominopelvic and distinguishing the location of the mediastinum.

    Attributions

    This page titled 1.8: Body Cavities is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Rosanna Hartline.