pleura
Meaning of pleura: The pleura is a two layered membrane enclosing each lung, producing a thin fluid film that lets the lungs glide smoothly against the chest wall.
Definition of pleura
The pleura is a thin membrane that surrounds each lung and folds back to line the interior of the chest cavity. It has two layers, an inner visceral layer that adheres directly to the lung surface and an outer parietal layer that lines the chest wall, diaphragm, and structures of the central chest.
Between these two layers lies a thin, fluid filled space called the pleural cavity, containing a small amount of lubricating fluid produced by the pleura itself. This fluid allows the two layers to slide smoothly against one another as the lungs expand and contract with each breath.
Because the pleura forms a closed space around each lung, conditions that add fluid, air, or blood to this space, such as pleural effusion or pneumothorax, can compress the lung and interfere with normal breathing, and inflammation of the pleura itself, called pleurisy, can cause sharp pain that worsens with breathing.
Used in a sentence
The chest x-ray showed thickening of the pleura consistent with prior inflammation.
Good to know
Pain that worsens sharply with breathing points toward irritation of the pleura itself, called pleurisy, distinguishing it from pain arising within the lung tissue, which lacks pain sensing nerve fibers.
Word origin
Where “pleura” comes from
Formed from Greek pleura, meaning rib or side, reflecting the membrane's position lining the chest wall.