Pleural membrane

Q4 The pleura are serous membranes one layer (the visceral pleura) firmly adheres to the surface of the lung and the other (the parietal pleura) adheres to the inner surface of the thoracic wall and diaphragm. The two pleural membranes lie very close together, separated only by a thin him of fluid. This lubricates the pleural surface, allowing the two layers to smoothly slide over each other as the thoracic wall moves. 

The lung tissue is arranged in lobes the right side has three lobes and the left has two lobes. Each lung is surrounded by separate pleural membranes. 

Air enters through the chest wall and pleural membrane, collapsing the lung... 

Q6 Each lung is enclosed in a pleural membrane so the left pleural compartment is completely separate from the right compartment, which was penetrated by a nail. The pleura on the left side have not been disrupted, and so the movement of the left lung in inspiration and expiration was not affected by an injury on the right side. 

Pleural membranes cover the lung and must be intact to allow the lung to inflate. If the chest wall is injured and the pleura punctured, air enters the pleural cavity (pneumothorax) and the lung collapses. 

Pleural cavity The cavity, defined by a thin membrane (the pleural membrane or pleura), which contains the lungs. 

Asbestos can split into microscopically small airborne fibres that are invisible to the human eye and are typically one to ten microns (one to ten thousandth of a millimetre) in length. They are typically two thousand times thinner than a human hair and can penetrate deep into the lungs and remain lodged virtually indefinitely within those that are exposed. The inert nature of these fibres means that the human body will not be able to break down the fibres and therefore they will cause irritation or damage to the delicate linings (pleural membranes) of the lungs for a long period of time after the initial exposure. 

Pleurisy Inflammation of pleural membranes that causes painfiil breathing often accompanies lobar pneumonia. 

Among the 29 case reports over the past 30 years (17-19), 19 cases provide sufficient data to establish the diagnosis of AL amyloidosis. Pleural biopsies documented amyloid deposits in 13 (68%) of these cases. Although 16 of 19 cases (84%) had concomitant congestive heart failure (CHF), 56% expressed exudative pleural fluid chemistries, suggesting disruption of pleural membrane mechanics. 

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