The Respiratory System
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[ image 1 ] [ image 2 ] [ image 3 ] [ Lungs ]
The mediastinal pleura is the shiney layer of tissue that we see over the thymus (A), heart (B), aorta (C), and esophagus (D). That is right, these structures lie within the mediastinum. The azygous vein, trachea, and cranial vena cava also lie within the mediastinum. In the cardiovascular lab, we will see that the heart has it's own serous cavity within the mediastinum. Other structures you should be able to identify are the diaphragm (E), the phrenic nerve (F), and the accessory lobe of the right lung (G), which is separated from the other lobes of the right lung by the caudal vena cava and plica vena cava. Click on the [ Lungs ] link above to view the isolated lungs.