Which layer covers the lungs?

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Multiple Choice

Which layer covers the lungs?

Think of the lungs as being covered by a serous membrane called the pleura. The layer that lies directly on the lung surface, following all its contours and fissures, is the visceral pleura. The other pleural layer, the parietal pleura, lines the inside of the chest wall and the diaphragm, not the lungs themselves. The pericardial layers belong to the heart—parietal pericardium lines the fibrous sac around the heart, and visceral pericardium adheres to the heart muscle. So the layer covering the lungs is the visceral pleura.

Think of the lungs as being covered by a serous membrane called the pleura. The layer that lies directly on the lung surface, following all its contours and fissures, is the visceral pleura. The other pleural layer, the parietal pleura, lines the inside of the chest wall and the diaphragm, not the lungs themselves. The pericardial layers belong to the heart—parietal pericardium lines the fibrous sac around the heart, and visceral pericardium adheres to the heart muscle. So the layer covering the lungs is the visceral pleura.

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