The key difference between thoracic cavity and abdominal cavity is that the thoracic cavity is located above the diaphragm and houses organs like the heart and lungs while the abdominal cavity is located below the diaphragm and contains organs such as the stomach, liver, and intestines
What is Thoracic Cavity?
The thoracic cavity is a specific anatomical region within the human body that is located between the neck and the abdomen. It is also referred to as the chest cavity. The thoracic cavity is bound by the bony thoracic cage, which consists of the sternum (breastbone), ribs, and thoracic vertebrae.
What is the Abdominal Cavity?
The abdominal cavity is a body cavity located between the thoracic cavity (chest cavity) and the pelvic cavity. It is the largest cavity within the human body and is bounded by several anatomical structures, including the diaphragm superiorly (which separates the thoracic and abdominal cavities), the abdominal muscles anteriorly and laterally, and the vertebral column posteriorly.
Thoracic Cavity Vs Abdominal Cavity
The key difference between the Thoracic cavity and the abdominal cavity is given below:
| Aspects | Thoracic cavity | Abdominal cavity |
| Location | Above the diaphragm. | Below the diaphragm. |
| Boundaries | Superiorly bounded by the neck and thoracic inlet, anteriorly bounded by the sternum, posteriorly bounded by the vertebral column and ribs. | Contains the heart, lungs, esophagus, trachea, major blood vessels, thymus gland. |
| Organs | Contains the heart, lungs, esophagus, trachea, major blood vessels, and thymus gland. | Superiorly bounded by the diaphragm, anteriorly bounded by the abdominal muscles, laterally bounded by the abdominal muscles, and posteriorly bounded by the vertebral column. |
| Function | Facilitates respiration and circulation. | Facilitates digestion, metabolism, and waste elimination. |
| Serous Membrane | Pleura lines the lungs, pericardium lines the heart. | Innervated by the intercostal nerves, phrenic nerves, and other autonomic nerves. |
| Nerve Supply | Contains the stomach, liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, small intestine, large intestine, kidneys, and adrenal glands. | Innervated by the abdominal nerves, including the thoracic splanchnic nerves and the lumbar splanchnic nerves. |