16 Questions
What is the function of the pericardium?
To restrict excessive movements of the heart
What composes the double-walled sac around the heart?
A superficial fibrous pericardium and a deep two-layer serous pericardium
From which arteries does the pericardium receive its blood supply?
Pericardiacophrenic branches of the internal thoracic arteries
What separates the parietal layer from the visceral layer of the pericardium?
Fluid-filled pericardial space
What is the venous drainage of the pericardium?
Tributaries that empty into the azygous system of veins
Which nervous system branches supply the pericardium?
Vagus, phrenic, and sympathetic trunk
What is the term for the excess fluid between the parietal and visceral layers of the serous pericardium?
Pericardial effusion
What can result from the rapid accumulation of as little as 200 mL of fluid in the pericardial space?
Cardiac tamponade
What is the purpose of pericardiocentesis?
Drainage of excess fluid from the pericardium
Where is pericardial puncture usually carried out to avoid puncturing the internal thoracic artery?
Close to the medial or sternal end of the right 5th to 6th costal cartilage
What results from perforation of either the heart or the intrapericardial great vessels?
Hemopericardium
What is a clinical feature of pericarditis?
Sharp central chest pain exacerbated by movement and lying down and relieved by sitting forward
Where is the heart situated within the thoracic cavity?
Middle mediastinum
What is the consequence of a sufficiently large volume of pericardial effusion?
Reduction in ventricular filling
What can develop slowly due to chronic pericardial effusions?
Cardiac enlargement
What is a common cause of pericardial inflammation?
Infection (bacterial, viral, fungal and tuberculosis)
Explore the fibroserous sac that encloses the heart and the roots of the great vessels, its functions, and composition. Test your knowledge of the gross anatomy of the heart and pericardium through this quiz.
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