Organ
Visceral pleura
Thin pleural covering attached to the lung
High-yield
It lacks the chest-wall pattern of somatic pain supply. Calling it completely devoid of nerves or sensory receptors is an oversimplification.
Overview
Visceral pleura follows the outer lung surface and the interlobar fissures. At the hilum it becomes continuous with parietal pleura. Its mesothelium and elastic connective tissue contribute to the moving lung surface.
Reference facts
- Location
- Over the lung surface and within the fissures, reflecting at the root
- Parts
- Continuous mesothelial covering with underlying connective tissue
- Blood supply
- Predominantly bronchial systemic circulation
- Innervation
- Pulmonary plexus pathways; sensory fibers have been investigated, but their function should not be reduced to a categorical painless-versus-painful rule
- Venous/Lymphatic drainage
- Venous connections to pulmonary and bronchial drainage; subpleural lymphatics lead toward hilar nodes
- Function
- Supports low-friction lung movement and mechanical coupling across the fluid-lined pleural space
Clinical correlation
A breach that lets air escape from lung tissue into the pleural space can cause pneumothorax. Visceral pleural sensation should not be used to predict that such an event must begin painlessly.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the visceral pleura located?
Over the lung surface and within the fissures, reflecting at the root.
What does the visceral pleura do?
Supports low-friction lung movement and mechanical coupling across the fluid-lined pleural space.
What are the parts of the visceral pleura?
The parts of the visceral pleura are the continuous mesothelial covering with underlying connective tissue.
What is the blood supply of the visceral pleura?
Predominantly bronchial systemic circulation.