fibrous pericardium

(noun)

Composed of dense connective tissue which protects the heart, anchors it to the surrounding walls, and prevents the heart from overfilling with blood.

Related Terms

Examples of fibrous pericardium in the following topics:

  • Pericardium

    • The pericardium is composed of two layers, an outer fibrous pericardium and an inner serous pericardium.
    • The fibrous pericardium is the outer layer of the pericardium.
    • It is continuous with the outer fibrous layer of the neighboring great blood vessels.
    • The serous pericardium, the inner layer of the pericardium, is composed of two different layers.
    • The outer layer, the parietal layer, is completely adhered to the fibrous pericardium.

  • Pericarditis

    • Pericarditis is a swelling of the pericardium, the protective, fibrous sac surrounding the heart.
    • Pericarditis is an inflammation of the pericardium, which is the fibrous sac surrounding the heart .
    • The causes of pericarditis are varied, including viral infections of the pericardium, idiopathic causes, uremic pericarditis, bacterial infections of the pericardium (e.g., Mycobacterium tuberculosis), post-infarct pericarditis (pericarditis due to heart attack), or Dressler's pericarditis.
    • This can be seen in patients who are experiencing the classic signs of pericarditis but then show signs of relief, and progress to show signs of cardiac tamponade which include decreased alertness and lethargy, pulsus paradoxus (decrease of at least 10 mmHg of the systolic blood pressure upon inspiration), hypotension (due to decreased cardiac index), JVD (jugular vein distention from right sided heart failure and fluid overload), distant heart sounds on auscultation, and equilibration of all the diastolic blood pressures on cardiac catheterization due to the constriction of the pericardium by the fluid.
    • In such cases of cardiac tamponade, EKG or Holter monitor will then depict electrical alterans indicating wobbling of the heart in the fluid filled pericardium, and the capillary refill might decrease, as well as severe vascular collapse and altered mental status due to hypoperfusion of body organs by a heart that cannot pump out blood effectively.

  • Ascending Aorta

    • The aortic root is the portion of the ascending aorta beginning at the aortic annulus, the fibrous attachment between the heart and the aorta, and extending to the sinotubular junction.
    • This dilatation is termed the "bulb of the aorta. " The ascending aorta is contained within the pericardium.
    • It is enclosed in a tube of the serous pericardium, which also encloses the pulmonary artery.
    • The ascending aorta is covered at its beginning by the trunk of the pulmonary artery and, higher up, is separated from the sternum by the pericardium, the right pleura, the anterior margin of the right lung, some loose areolar tissue, and the remains of the thymus.

  • Body Cavity Membranes

    • The mesothelium is a membrane that forms the lining of several body cavities: the pleura (thoracic cavity), peritoneum (abdominal cavity including the mesentery) and pericardium (heart sac).
    • The dura mater is composed of dense fibrous tissue, and its inner surface is covered by flattened cells like those present on the surfaces of the pia mater and arachnoid mater.
    • It is composed of fibrous tissue and, like the pia mater, is covered by flat cells also thought to be impermeable to fluid.
    • It is a very thin membrane composed of fibrous tissue covered on its outer surface by a sheet of flat cells thought to be impermeable to fluid.

  • Fibrous Skeleton of the Heart

    • There are four fibrous rings:
    • The left fibrous ring encircles the bicuspid valve.
    • The right fibrous ring encircles the tricuspid valve.
    • The fibrous skeleton of the heart also protects against cardiac arrhythmias.
    • Transverse section of the heart showing the fibrous rings surrounding the valves.

  • Fibrous Joints

    • Fibrous joints are also called fixed or immovable joints because they do not move.
    • Fibrous joints are connected by dense connective tissue consisting mainly of collagen.
    • Fibrous joints have no joint cavity and are connected via fibrous connective tissue.
    • The skull bones are connected by fibrous joints called sutures.
    • Syndesmoses of long bones and gomphoses of teeth are also types of fibrous joints.

  • Rheumatism and Arthritis

    • The process involves an inflammatory response of the capsule around the joints (synovium) secondary to swelling (hyperplasia) of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development of fibrous tissue (pannus) in the synovium.
    • Rheumatoid arthritis can also produce diffuse inflammation in the lungs, the membrane around the heart (pericardium), the membranes of the lung (pleura), and the white of the eye (sclera), and also nodular lesions, most common in subcutaneous tissue.

  • Tissue Engineering

    • In particular, non-woven polyglycolide structures have been tested for tissue engineering applications: such fibrous structures have been found useful to grow different types of cells.
    • Mechanical stimuli, such as pressure pulses seem to be beneficial to all kind of cardiovascular tissue such as heart valves, blood vessels, or pericardium.

  • Structural Classification of Joints

    • There are three structural classifications of joints: fibrous, cartilaginous, and synovial.
    • There are three types of fibrous joints.
    • These moveable fibrous joints are also termed amphiarthrodial.
    • They allow more movement than fibrous joints but less than that of synovial joints.
    • Image demonstrating the three types of fibrous joints.

  • Anatomy of the Heart

    • The heart is enclosed in a double-walled protective membrane called the pericardium, which is a mesothelium tissue of the thoracic cavity.
    • The double membrane of pericardium contains pericardial fluid which nourishes the heart and prevents shock.
    • The outer layer is called the epicardium, or visceral pericardium, since it is also the inner wall of the pericardium.