Abstract
The heart lies in the middle mediastinum within the pericardial sac. The pericardial sac is formed by two layers: the outer layer known as the fibrous pericardium and the inner layer known as the serous pericardium. The serous pericardium contains two layers: visceral and parietal. The inner visceral layer covers the surface of heart and base of the great vessels. At the level of the great vessels, it reflects and becomes the parietal layer, which lines the thick fibrous pericardium. The fibrous pericardium fuses with the base of the great vessels and the diaphragm and it is attached to the sternum by the sternopericardial ligament.
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Mazur, W., Siegel, M.J., Miszalski-Jamka, T., Pelberg, R. (2013). The Normal Heart. In: CT Atlas of Adult Congenital Heart Disease. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5088-6_2
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