Muscular sheet that divides the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity
Intercostal Muscles
Two sets of muscles between the ribs that contract to pull the ribs up & out during inhalation or down & in during forceful exhalation
Mediastinum
Smaller cavity within the thoracic cavity. It contains the trachea (and the heart & esophagus).
Phrenic Nerve
Nerve that, when stimulated, causes the diaphragm to contract & move inferiorly to expand the thoracic cavity during inspiration
Pleura
Double layered serous membrane. The visceral pleura is next to the lung's surface. The parietal pleura is next to the wall of the thorax. The pleura secretes pleural fluid into the pleural space (the space between the two layers of pleura)
Pleural cavity
Area surrounded by a pleural membrane. Each pleural cavity contains a lung.
Thoracic cavity
Hollow space that's filled with the lungs & structures in the mediastinum
Thorax
Bony cage made of the sternum, ribs, and bones of the spine that surrounds and protects the lungs and other organs in the thoracic cavity