The retroperitoneal space (retroperitoneum) is the anatomical space in the abdominal cavity behind (retro) the peritoneum. It has no specific delineating anatomical structures. Organs are retroperitoneal if they have peritoneum on their anterior side only. Structures that are not suspended by mesentery in the abdominal cavity and that lie between the parietal peritoneum and abdominal wall are classified as retroperitoneal.
The retroperitoneum can be further subdivided into the following:
- Perirenal space
- Anterior pararenal space
- Posterior pararenal space
Read more about Retroperitoneal Space: Retroperitoneal Structures, Perirenal Space, Anterior Pararenal Space, Posterior Pararenal Space, Role in Disease
Famous quotes containing the word space:
“If we remembered everything, we should on most occasions be as ill off as if we remembered nothing. It would take us as long to recall a space of time as it took the original time to elapse, and we should never get ahead with our thinking. All recollected times undergo, accordingly, what M. Ribot calls foreshortening; and this foreshortening is due to the omission of an enormous number of facts which filled them.”
—William James (1842–1910)