Abstract
The pericardium is one of the serosal cavities of the mammals. It consists of two anatomical structures closely connected, an external sac of fibrous connective tissue, that is called fibrous pericardium and an internal that is called serous pericardium coating the internal surface of the fibrous pericardium (parietal layer) and the heart (visceral layer) forming the pericardial space. Between these two layers a small amount of fluid exists that is called pericardial fluid. The pericardial fluid is a product of ultrafiltration and is considered to be drained by lymphatic capillary bed mainly. Under normal conditions it provides lubrication during heart beating while the mesothelial cells that line the membrane may also have a role in the absorption of the pericardial fluid along with the pericardial lymphatics. Here, we provide a review of the the current literature regarding the physiology of the pericardial space and the regulation of pericardial fluid turnover and highlight the areas that need to be further investigated.
Highlights
Physiology of pericardial fluid production and drainageSpecialty section: This article was submitted to Membrane Physiology and Membrane Biophysics, a section of the journal
The pericardium is one of the serosal cavities of mammals (Michailova and Usunoff, 2006)
Histological studies on parietal pericardium of rodents have shown the presence of circular fenestrations (“pores”; diameter up to 50 μm), which connect the pericardial cavity with the adjacent mediastinal pleural cavities, except the positions that are held by the adipose tissue (Nakatani et al, 1988; Mohrman and Heller, 2006)
Summary
Specialty section: This article was submitted to Membrane Physiology and Membrane Biophysics, a section of the journal
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