Transverse pericardial sinus
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View Craig Hacking's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Craig Hacking had no recorded disclosures.
View Craig Hacking's current disclosuresThe transverse pericardial sinus is the transverse communication between the left and right parts of the pericardial space proper behind the two outflow arteries of the heart.
Gross anatomy
It is superior to the left atrium and posterior to the intrapericardial parts of the pulmonary trunk and ascending aorta and anterior to the superior vena cava on the right and the left atrial appendage on the left. Inferiorly it is separated from the oblique pericardial sinus below by a double reflection of serous pericardium that extends transversely between the left and right superior pulmonary veins.
Several pericardial recesses form small pockets that may extend from or towards the transverse sinus, which may mimic mediastinal lymph nodes or disease:
- aortic recesses
- pulmonic recesses
- postcaval recess
- pulmonary venous recesses
Clinical significance
During cardiac surgery, the transverse pericardial sinus allows a surgeon to isolate the pulmonary trunk and ascending aorta and apply a temporary ligature or clamp.
References
- 1. Last's anatomy, regional and applied. Churchill Livingstone. ISBN:044304662X. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Moore KL, Agur AMR, Dalley AF. Clinically oriented anatomy. LWW. ISBN:1451119453. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. O'Leary SM, Williams PL, Williams MP et-al. Imaging the pericardium: appearances on ECG-gated 64-detector row cardiac computed tomography. Br J Radiol. 2010;83 (987): 194-205. Br J Radiol (full text) - doi:10.1259/bjr/55699491 - Free text at pubmed - Pubmed citation
- 4. Oyama N, Oyama N, Komuro K et-al. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the pericardium: anatomy and pathology. Magn Reson Med Sci. 2005;3 (3): 145-52. Pubmed citation
- 5. Broderick LS, Brooks GN, Kuhlman JE. Anatomic pitfalls of the heart and pericardium. Radiographics : a review publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. 25 (2): 441-53. doi:10.1148/rg.252045075 - Pubmed
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