Parietal peritoneum

Author: Danijel Tosovic, PhD • Reviewer: Dimitrios Mytilinaios, MD, PhD
Last reviewed: October 30, 2023
Reading time: 1 minute

The parietal peritoneum is a serous membrane covering the inner surface of the abdominopelvic cavity, including the anterior and posterior walls of the abdomen, the inferior surface of the diaphragm and the walls and floor of the pelvic cavity. It consists of a simple squamous epithelium and is continuous with the visceral peritoneum, which reflects off from the abdominal wall and surrounds organs.

The parietal peritoneum continuously lines the abdominal walls and forms the sac called the peritoneal cavity, which is the slim potential space containing peritoneal (serous) fluid. This serous fluid acts as a lubricant and prevents friction, allowing the parietal and visceral peritonea to slide against each other freely. Structures that are not suspended into the peritoneal cavity and instead are found between the parietal peritoneum and the abdominal wall are termed retroperitoneal. The parietal peritoneum will typically cover just the anterior surface of these structures, providing structural support and acting as a barrier against pathogens.

Terminology	English: Parietal peritoneum Latin: Peritonaeum parietale Synonym: Peritonaeum parietale
Location	Lines the walls of the abdominopelvic cavity
Function	Structural support and protection of abdominal organs, lubrication of peritoneal cavity.

Learn more about peritoneal relations with this study unit:

Sources

All content published on Kenhub is reviewed by medical and anatomy experts. The information we provide is grounded on academic literature and peer-reviewed research. Kenhub does not provide medical advice. You can learn more about our content creation and review standards by reading our content quality guidelines.

Standring, S., Anand, N., & Tunstall, R. (2021). Gray's anatomy: the anatomical basis of clinical practice (Forty-second edition). Elsevier.
Tortora, G. J., Nielsen, M. T., & John Wiley & Sons, Inc., publisher. (2020). Principles of Human Anatomy, 15th Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.

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