Parietal Pleura Parts

Expansion

• Costal pleura - lines the ribs and intercostal spaces
• Mediastinal pleura - lines the mediastinum and forms the sleeve of the lung root
• Diaphragmatic pleura - covers the upper surface of the diaphragm
• Cervical pleura (cupula) - the dome extending into the neck

Innervation follows the region, and this is where it becomes clinically useful. The costal pleura and the peripheral diaphragmatic pleura are supplied by the intercostal nerves, so irritation causes sharp, well-localised chest wall pain. The central diaphragmatic and mediastinal pleura are supplied by the phrenic nerve (C3, C4, C5), so irritation there refers to the shoulder tip.