Pericardiophrenic Vein in a Sagittal Section of the Male Thorax, Lateral View

Description

Seen in lateral sagittal section of the male thorax, the pericardiophrenic vein courses vertically along the fibrous pericardium, closely paralleling the pericardiophrenic artery and the phrenic nerve as they descend toward the diaphragm. Anterior to the vertebral column, the mediastinal contour includes the heart within its pericardial sac, with the ascending aorta and pulmonary trunk superiorly and the inferior vena cava approaching the right atrium inferiorly. Posterior to the airway, the esophagus tracks inferiorly in front of the thoracic vertebral bodies, while the lung margin drapes laterally against the mediastinum and the domed diaphragm separates the thoracic cavity from the liver below. Ribs arc from the posterior thoracic wall toward the anterior chest. This is the corridor surgeons and interventionalists respect when working near the pericardium and diaphragm, because the pericardiophrenic vessels sit on the pericardial surface and can bleed briskly if torn during pericardiocentesis, subxiphoid pericardial window, or thoracoscopic pericardial procedures. The same relationship explains why phrenic nerve palsy can follow pericardial inflammation or iatrogenic injury, with the nerve and pericardiophrenic vein traveling together to the central tendon of the diaphragm. A practical landmark. Use this plate for teaching mediastinal anatomy in gross anatomy and cardiothoracic modules, for illustrating pericardial access and complication avoidance in procedural guides, or for correlating pericardiophrenic drainage into the internal thoracic (thoracic) venous system in radiology and surgical texts. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.