Epicardium
The epicardium (from ancient Greek επικάρδιον epicardion , Latin epicardium ) is the outer, serous , transparent layer of the heart wall . The term epicardium , formerly also called (outer) heart cover , literally means “ on the heart ”. The epicardium is the body sheet ( lamina visceralis ) of the pericardium (pericardium). The epicardium consists of a single layer of mesothelial cells and a subserous layer of fat and connective tissue , in which the larger heart vessels also run. The epicardium is firmly connected to the muscle layer ( myocardium ) either directly or indirectly via the fatty tissue .
The epicardium and the wall sheet ( lamina parietalis ) of the pericardium enclose a narrow, closed cavity, the pericardial or pericardial cavity ( Cavum pericardii ). The epicardium secretes a small amount (in humans about 20 ml) of clear fluid into this gap, the pericardial fluid ( liquor pericardii ). This serves as a lubricating film during the heart's action and reduces the friction between the two leaves of the pericardium to a minimum. The transition point between the epicardium and the pericardium encloses the ascending aorta and pulmonary trunk on the left , the superior and inferior vena cava and the pulmonary veins on the right .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Antonio Sarikas: Functional Human Anatomy . Lehmanns Media, 2015, ISBN 978-3-86541-789-3 , pp. 143 .
- ↑ Udo M. Spornitz: Anatomy and Physiology: Textbook and Atlas for Nursing and Health Professions . 3. Edition. Springer, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-662-05735-3 , pp. 289 .
- ↑ Walther Grauman: Compact textbook anatomy . tape 3 . Schattauer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 978-3-7945-2063-3 , pp. 384 .
- ^ Herbert Lippert: Photo atlas anatomy: preparations, drawings and text . Elsevier, Urban & Fischer, 2005, ISBN 978-3-437-44420-3 , pp. 44 .