What is a potential space?
In anatomy, the potential space is a structure that is usually either empty or contains a small amount of substance, but can spread to a much larger size due to different processes. The lungs and hearts are surrounded by potential spaces called pleural space and pericardial space. The brain has spaces that can be filled with fluid, including epidural and subdural spaces. Some people also consider the vagina to be a potential space.
Normally a small size can expand the pocetní space due to different conditions. This concept is best illustrated by an example. The lungs are covered with a thin membrane called visceral pleura. This membrane contacts the parietal pleura, a membrane that lines the inner part of the rib cage. The space called the pleural cavity is located between visceral and parietal pleura, is usually filled with only a few milliliters of liquid; In pathological conditions, however, hundreds or thousands of this space can be collectedKutiny.
Like the lungs, they are surrounded by the pleural cavity, the heart is surrounded by the pericardial cavity, which is bounded by the epicardial surface lining the outer side of the heart and the stiff pericardial bag that surrounds the heart. Usually this space contains a small amount of liquid that serves as a lubricant. With various diseases, liquid can accumulate in this space. If enough liquid is collected, the heart's ability to draw blood is at risk. This condition is called heart tamponade and can be life -threatening without surgery to alleviate the accumulation of pressure in the pericardial space.
Many different areas of the brain have potential spaces. The brain is lined with three different membranes, the farthest is the rigid layer, the center of the thin arachnoid layer and the inner pial -layer, which follows the surface of the brain. Blood can accumulate in space between duralumin and arachNoid layers in the subdural space. This occurs when it lived commonly in this space, which is most often present due to trauma. The epidural space, the area between the skull and the dua, can also accumulate blood if the artery is torn in this area.
Some people consider vagina a different type of potential space in the body. Unlike other potential premises, this space is not defined by membranes. It is a cavity lined with a snusic membrane that opens on the outer surface of the body. Normally, the Vagina Hlavnice membranes contact each other, but this potential space can spread during sexual or childbirth.