Peritoneum – Serous Membrane (Nursing)

00:01 So now let's look at the different serous membranes that we have in the abdominal cavity as well as their relation to the organs in the abdominal cavity.

00:11 The peritoneum is the serous membrane of the abdominal cavity and consists of two layers the visceral peritoneum, which is the membrane on the external surface of most of our digestive organs and the parietal peritoneum, which is the membrane that lines the body wall of the abdominal cavity.

00:33 Between these two layers we have what's known as the peritoneal cavity.

00:40 In this cavity there's going to be a fluid that allows for lubrication of our mobile organs in order to allow for the reduction of friction as these organs are going to be doing a lot of movement.

00:55 Also in our abdominal cavity we have the mesentery.

01:00 The mesentery is a double layer of the peritoneum as the layers are fused back to back.

01:07 This is going to extend from the body wall to our digestive organs and provides a route for the blood vessels, lymphatic vessels and nerves of the abdominal cavity.

01:19 The mesentery is also responsible for holding our organs in place and is also a place for the storage of fat.

01:27 Organs that are located within the peritoneal are referred to as our intraperitoneal organs.

01:35 Organs that are located outside of or posterior to the peritoneum are referred to as are retroperitoneal organs.

01:45 Examples of retroperitoneal organs include the pancreas, the duodenum of the small intestine and parts of the large intestine.