Editing Peritoneum (section)

===Layers===
The peritoneum is one continuous sheet, forming two layers and a [[potential space]] between them: the [[peritoneal cavity]].

The outer layer, the '''parietal peritoneum''', is attached to the [[abdominal wall]] and the [[pelvic walls]].<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Tank PW | chapter = Chapter 4: The abdomen | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=JDC-dFMy-BIC&pg=PA99 |title=Grant's dissector |date=2013 |location=Philadelphia |isbn=978-1-60913-606-2 |edition=Fifteenth}}</ref> The [[tunica vaginalis]], the serous membrane covering the male [[testis]], is derived from the [[vaginal process]], an outpouching of the parietal peritoneum.

The inner layer, the '''visceral peritoneum''', is wrapped around the visceral organs, located inside the intraperitoneal space for protection. It is thinner than the parietal peritoneum. The [[mesentery]] is a double layer of visceral peritoneum that attaches to the [[human gastrointestinal tract|gastrointestinal tract]]. There are often blood vessels, nerves, and other structures between these layers. The space between these two layers is technically outside of the peritoneal sac, and thus not in the peritoneal cavity.

The potential space between these two layers is the [[peritoneal cavity]], filled with a small amount (about 50 mL) of slippery [[serous fluid]] that allows the two layers to slide freely over each other.

The right [[paracolic gutter]] is continuous with the right and left subhepatic spaces. The [[epiploic foramen]] allows communication between the greater sac and the lesser sac.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|last=Jones|first=J.|title=Epiploic Foramen {{!}} Radiopaedia.org|doi=10.53347/rID-6059|url=https://radiopaedia.org/articles/epiploic-foramen-1#:~:text=The%20epiploic%20foramen%20(also%20called,communication%20between%20these%20two%20spaces.|date=14 April 2009|access-date=21 May 2022|publisher=Radiopaedia|doi-access=free}}</ref> The peritoneal space in males is closed, while the peritoneal space in females is continuous with the extraperitoneal pelvis through openings of the [[fallopian tubes]], the [[uterus]], and the [[vagina]].<ref name="Tirkes 2012"/>