Pleura
Eva Rudolf-Müller is a freelance writer in the medical team. She studied human medicine and newspaper sciences and has repeatedly worked in both areas - as a doctor in the clinic, as a reviewer, and as a medical journalist for various specialist journals. She is currently working in online journalism, where a wide range of medicine is offered to everyone.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.The pleura is a two-leaved skin in the chest: the inner skin (lung skin) covers the lungs, the outer skin (pleura) lines the chest.Between them there is a narrow gap (pleural cavity) that is filled with fluid and ensures that the lungs can slide along the chest wall when breathing. Read everything you need to know about the pleura here!
What is the pleura?
The pleura is the pleura - it lines the two halves of the chest and divides them into two separate and self-contained cavities. It consists of two leaves, the inside of which covers the lungs (P. visceralis) and the outside (P. parietalis) lies against the inside of the chest. In the gap-shaped space between these two leaves (pleural cavity) there is a serous fluid (but not air).
What is the function of the pleura?
The pleura envelops the two lungs and enables breathing. The thin film of fluid in the pleural cavity allows the lungs with the pulmonary membrane to slide along the pleura (the inner lining of the chest) during breathing movements. However, the pleura and pleura cannot separate from each other (comparable to two moist glass plates placed next to each other). So when the chest expands and the diaphragm contracts downward when you breathe in, the lungs also expand. Breathing air is sucked in by the resulting negative pressure.
Where is the pleura located?
The pleura lines the entire chest (thorax) and covers both lungs. One part, the costal pleura, covers the ribs, the vertebral bodies of the thoracic spine, and the back of the sternum. Another part, the P. diaphragmatica, covers the upper surface of the diaphragm. In the middle of the body it covers the mediastinum as P. mediastinalis. A part lies directly on the pericardium and is therefore also referred to as P. pericardiaca.
What problems can the pleura cause?
In addition to pleurisy, the most well-known health problem in connection with the pleura is the pneumothorax: It occurs when air enters the pleural cavity, for example due to a chest injury or tears in the lung tissue (e.g. as part of pulmonary emphysema). The air that has penetrated severely impedes the breathing movements of the lungs - the person concerned suffers from shortness of breath.
In addition, fluid can accumulate between the pleura and the lungs due to the disease. Such a pleural effusion can contain several liters and accordingly severely impair breathing. Then it usually has to be punctured - the liquid is sucked off via a fine hollow needle. Possible causes for the effusion are, for example, inflammation (such as pleurisy) or tumors in the pleura area.
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