Dictionary:
per·i·car·di·um (pĕr'ĭ-kär'dē-əm)  |
[New Latin, from Greek perikardion, from perikardios, around the heart : peri-, peri- + kardiā, heart.]
pericardial per'i·car'di·al (-dē-əl) or per'i·car'di·ac' (-dē-ăk') adj.| 5min Related Video: pericardium |
| World of the Body: pericardium |
A conical bag which holds the heart. There is an outer fibrous covering, and within this a more delicate membrane: a closed sac, into which the heart is invaginated from behind, so that the two layers of membrane are in contact with each other. There is thus a potential space between the layers, which may be expanded with fluid in the condition of pericarditis, or with blood in penetrating injuries; since there is no exit, accumulated fluid interferes with the pump action, and needs to be aspirated.
— Stuart Judge
See heart.
| Dental Dictionary: pericardium |
A fibroserous sac that surrounds the heart and the roots of the great vessels.
| Sports Science and Medicine: pericardium |
The double-layered envelope surrounding the heart which prevents overextension during heart beats.
| Veterinary Dictionary: pericardiac |
Pertaining to the pericardium; around the heart.
| Wikipedia: Pericardium |
| Pericardium | |
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| Posterior wall of the pericardial sac, showing the lines of reflection of the serous pericardium on the great vessels. | |
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| A transverse section of the thorax, showing the contents of the middle and the posterior mediastinum. The pleural and pericardial cavities are exaggerated since normally there is no space between parietal and visceral pleura and between pericardium and heart Paricardium is also known as cariac epidemis. | |
| Gray's | subject #137 524 |
| Artery | pericardiacophrenic artery |
| MeSH | Pericardium |
The pericardium (from the Greek περικάρδιον /perikardion/) is a double-walled sac that contains the heart and the roots of the great vessels.
Contents |
There are two layers to the pericardial sac: the fibrous pericardium and the serous pericardium. The serous pericardium, in turn, is divided into two layers, the parietal pericardium, which is fused to and inseparable from the fibrous pericardium, and the visceral pericardium, which is part of the epicardium. The epicardium is the layer immediately outside of the heart muscle proper (the myocardium).
The visceral layer extends to the beginning of the great vessels, becoming one with the parietal layer of the serous pericardium. This happends at two areas; where the aorta and pulmonary trunk leave the heart and where the superior vena cava, inferior vena cava and pulmonary veins enter the heart.
In between the parietal and visceral pericardial layers there is a potential space called the pericardial cavity. It is normally lubricated by a film of pericardial fluid. Too much fluid in the cavity (such as in a pericardial effusion) can result in pericardial tamponade (compression of the heart within the pericardial sac). A pericardectomy is sometimes needed in these cases.
The 10th century CE Islamic mystic Hallaj described God as He "who flows between the pericardium and the heart, just as the tears flow from the eyelids." [1]
 The phrenic nerve and its relations with the vagus nerve. |
 Thoracic portion of the sympathetic trunk. |
 Liver with the septum transversum. Human embryo 3 mm. long. |
 The thymus of a full-time fetus, exposed in situ. |
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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Translations: Pericardium |
Français (French)
n. - péricarde
Deutsch (German)
n. - Herzbeutel
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ανατ.) περικάρδιο
Italiano (Italian)
perdicardio
Português (Portuguese)
n. - pericárdio (m) (Anat.)
Español (Spanish)
n. - pericardio
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - hjärtsäck
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
心囊, 心包膜
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 心囊, 心包膜
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) تامور : شغاف القلب
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - קרום-הלב, כיס-הלב
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 | heart |
| pericardiorrhaphy |
| pyopericardium |
 | Is the heart functional without the pericardium? Read answer... |
| Is pericardium one of the chambers in the heart? Read answer... |
| Where can the parietal pericardium be found? Read answer... |
 | What does the pericardium consist of? |
| What if there is an infection in the pericardium? |
| How can a pericardium be swollen? |
Copyrights:
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| World of the Body. The Oxford Companion to the Body. Copyright © 2001, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Sports Science and Medicine. The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. Copyright © Michael Kent 1998, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pericardium". Read more |
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| Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more |
