fibrous pericardium

The layer deep to the fibrous pericardium is the visceral layer.

The fibrous pericardium is the most superficial layer of the pericardium in the heart.

It consists of the serous pericardium and the fibrous pericardium.

It is inferior to the fibrous pericardium, which fuses with the central tendon of the diaphragm via the pericardiacophrenic ligament.

The pericardium is a double-walled sac - fibrous pericardium and serous pericardium - that contains the heart.

If pericardial fluid or pus accumulates in the pericardial space, the fibrous pericardium cannot stretch, causing a rapid increase of pressure around the heart.

There are two layers to the pericardial sac: the outermost fibrous pericardium and the inner serous pericardium.

Outside the parietal pericardium there is a fibrous layer which depends from the mediastinal fascia and is called the fibrous pericardium.

Both of these nerves supply motor fibres to the diaphragm and sensory fibres to the fibrous pericardium, mediastinal pleura, and diaphragmatic peritoneum.

The subserosal layer fuses with the fibrous pericardium in the parital membrane and it fuses with the myocardial tissue in the visceral membrane.

The serous pericardium consists of the parietal layer, which lines the inside of the fibrous pericardium, and the visceral layer, which adheres to the surface of the heart.

Above, it is fixed to the hyoid bone, while below it is carried downward in front of the trachea and large vessels at the root of the neck, and ultimately blends with the fibrous pericardium.

The fibrous pericardium is attached to the posterior surface of the sternum by the superior and inferior sternopericardiac ligaments (sternopericardial ligaments); the upper passing to the manubrium, and the lower to the xiphoid process.

The pericardium comprises two parts: the fibrous pericardium, made of dense fibrous connective tissue, and a double membrane structure (parietal and visceral pericardium) containing a serous fluid to reduce friction during heart contractions.

The serous pericardium, in turn, is divided into two layers, the parietal pericardium, which is fused to and inseparable from the fibrous pericardium, and the visceral pericardium, which is part of the epicardium.

The fibrous pericardium, which constitutes the outermost sac and is composed of tough, white fibrous tissue lined by the parietal layer of the serous pericardium, fits loosely around the heart and attaches to large blood vessels emerging from the top of the heart but not to the heart itself.