Expansion
A double fold of pleura hanging below the lung root
Expansion
The mediastinal pleura wraps around the structures of the lung root like a sleeve. Below the root, the front and back layers of that sleeve come together and hang down as a double fold, the pulmonary ligament.
- It contains no significant structures, only a little areolar tissue and small lymphatics and veins
- It extends from the lower border of the lung root towards the diaphragm, with a free lower edge
Its function is to provide slack, allowing the lung root and especially the inferior pulmonary vein to descend during inspiration without tension. Surgeons divide it to mobilise the lung during lobectomy.