Anatomy of the parietal pleura

The parietal pleura of the sheep, an animal with similar pleural anatomy to humans. The parietal pleura consists of a superficial single layer of mesothelial cells (M) and a subpleural layer. Within the subpleural layer lies loose and dense connective tissue of the endothoracic fascia (EF) through which run the blood microvessels (B) from the intercostal arteries and lymphatic lacunae (L), which open into the pleural space (PS) via stomata. The intercostal microvessels are about 10 to 12 from the pleural space.