1.8: Body Cavities
- Page ID
- 53513
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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.
- 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.
- 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.
- thoracic cavity–the space occupied by the ventral internal organs superior to the diaphragm.
Attributions
- "Anatomy and Physiology Lab Reference" by Laird C Sheldahl, OpenOregonEducational Resources, Mt. Hood Community College is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
- "BIOL 250 Human Anatomy Lab Manual SU 19" by Yancy Aquino, Skyline College is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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Scheme body cavities-en.svg by NCI and Mysid is in the public domain.