| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 3,918,142,932 visitors served. |
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
peritoneum |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Encyclopedia | 0.01 sec. |
|
|
peritoneum /peri·to·ne·um/ (-to-ne´um) the serous membrane lining the walls of the abdominal and pelvic cavities (parietal p.) and investing the contained viscera (visceral p.), the two layers enclosing a potential space, the peritoneal cavity.peritone´al
Peritoneum The transparent membrane lining the abdominal cavity that holds organs such as the intestines in place.
peritoneum [per′itənē′əm] Etymology: Gk, peri + teinein, to stretch an extensive serous membrane that lines the entire abdominal wall of the body and is reflected over the contained viscera. It is divided into the parietal peritoneum and the visceral peritoneum. In men the peritoneum is a closed membranous sac. In women it is perforated by the free ends of the uterine tubes. The free surface of the peritoneum is smooth mesothelium, lubricated by serous fluid that permits the viscera to glide easily against the abdominal wall and against one another. The mesentery of the peritoneum fans out from the main membrane to suspend the small intestine. Other parts of the peritoneum are the transverse mesocolon, the greater omentum, and the lesser omentum. peritoneal, adj. peritoneum [per″ĭ-to-ne´um] the serous membrane lining the walls of the abdominal and pelvic cavities (parietal peritoneum) and investing contained viscera (visceral peritoneum), the two layers enclosing a potential space, the peritoneal cavity.
peritoneum the serous membrane lining the walls of the abdominal and pelvic cavities (parietal peritoneum) and investing contained viscera (visceral peritoneum), the two layers enclosing a potential space, the peritoneal cavity. The diseases which are important in the peritoneum of animals are peritonitis, including a special group of rectal tear, retroperitoneal abscess, lipomatosis, neoplasia, ascites and peritoneal effusion. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| Medical Dictionary |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Free toolbar & extensions |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup |
|---|