The peritoneum is the serous membrane that forms the lining of the abdominal cavity or the coelom — it covers most of the intra-abdominal (or coelomic) organs — in higher vertebrates and some invertebrates (annelids, for instance). It is composed of a layer of mesothelium supported by a thin layer of connective tissue. The peritoneum both supports the abdominal organs and serves as a conduit for their blood and lymph vessels and nerves.
The abdom...
more
Read article at Wikipedia
Peritoneum
Anatomical structure
Equivalent Instances:
| Ontology | URI |
|---|---|
We can also tell you Peritoneum is a
If you know more about Peritoneum, you can add more facts here »
Similar topics in Freebase
-
Axon
An axon or nerve fiber is a long, slender projection of a nerve cell, or neuron, that conducts electrical impulses away from the neuron's cell body or soma. An axon is one of two types of protoplasmic protrusions that extrude from the cell body of a neuron, the other type being dendrites. Axons are... -
Aorta
The aorta (pronounced /eɪˈɔrtə/; from Greek ἀορτή - aortē, from ἀείρω - aeirō "I lift, raise") is the largest artery in the body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and bringing oxygenated blood to all parts of the body in the systemic circulation. The aorta is usually divided into... -
Dendrite
Dendrites (from Greek δένδρον déndron, “tree”) are the branched projections of a neuron that act to conduct the electrochemical stimulation received from other neural cells to the cell body, or soma, of the neuron from which the dendrites project. Electrical stimulation is transmitted onto... -
Rectum
The rectum (from the Latin rectum intestinum, meaning straight intestine) is the final straight portion of the large intestine in some mammals, and the gut in others, terminating in the anus. The human rectum is about 12 cm long. Its caliber is similar to that of the sigmoid colon at its... -
Uterus
The uterus (Latin word for womb) is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals, including humans. It is within the uterus that the fetus develops during gestation. The term uterus is used consistently within the medical and related professions; the Germanic term, womb... -
Vagina
The vagina (from Latin vagĭna, literally "sheath" or "scabbard") is a fibromuscular tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. Female insects and other invertebrates... -
Cranial nerves
Cranial nerves are nerves that emerge directly from the brain stem in contrast to spinal nerves which emerge from segments of the spinal cord. Although thirteen cranial nerves in humans fit this description, twelve are conventionally recognized. The nerves from the third onward arise from the brain... -
Vagus nerve
The vagus nerve (pronounced /ˈveɪɡəs/, us dict: vā′·gəs), also called pneumogastric nerve or cranial nerve X, is the tenth of twelve paired cranial nerves, and is the only nerve that starts in the brainstem (within the medulla oblongata). Upon leaving the medulla between the olivary nucleus and the... -
Pancreas
The pancreas is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates. It is both an endocrine gland producing several important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin, as well as an exocrine gland, secreting pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes that pass to... -
Stomach
In most mammals, the stomach is a hollow, muscular organ of the gastrointestinal tract (digestive system), between the esophagus and the small intestine. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication (chewing). The word stomach is derived from the Latin stomachus, which...