Download Body Planes, Directions, & Cavities

Body Planes,
Directions, & Cavities
Med Terms & Principles of Health
Science
BECKY JACKSON, R.N.
Purpose of Body Planes &
Directions


To document info about pts., terms have to
be used that specify regions or directions of
the body
Ex: to identify locations of pain or injury,
write: 1 cm. laceration on the right anterior
forearm, distal to the elbow.

These locations are based on “anatomical
position” of the body-the position with the
body upright with arms at the sides and the
palms forward.
Body Planes

Imaginary lines drawn through the body to
separate the body into sections



Transverse
Median or sagittal
Frontal or coronal
Transverse plane




Horizontal plane that
divides the body into a
top & bottom half
Superior:body parts
above other parts
Inferior:body parts
below other parts
Ex:Knee is superior to
ankle but inferior to hip
Midsagittal or median plane



Divides the body into
left and right sides
Medial-body parts close
to midline or middle
Lateral:body parts
away from the midline
or middle
Frontal (or coronal) plane

Divides the body into a
front and back section
Cranial (cephalic) vs caudal


Cranial: towards the head
Caudal: towards the tail
Medial vs lateral


Medial: close or
towards the midline
Lateral: away from the
midline
Superior vs inferior


Superior: towards
the top
Inferior: towards the
bottom
Anterior vs posterior


Anterior or Ventral:
towards the front of the
body
Posterior or Dorsal:
towards the back of
the body
Anterior/Ventral
Posterior/Dorsal
Proximal vs distal



Used to describe the
location of the
extremeties in relation
to the main trunk of the
body or the point of
reference.
Body parts close to
point of referenceproximal
Body parts away from
point of reference-distal
Proximal & Distal

Example: With the shoulder as the point of
reference, the wrist is distal (further away) &
elbow is proximal (closer) to shoulder.
Directions






Superior vs inferior
Cranial vs caudal
Medial vs lateral
Anterior vs posterior
Dorsal vs ventral
Proximal vs distal
Body Cavities-Spaces that contain vital
organs

Dorsal cavity (posterior)



Cranial cavity (head)
Spinal cavity (spine)
Ventral cavity (anterior)


Thoracic cavity (chest)
Abdomino-pelvic cavity
 Abdominal cavity
 Pelvic cavity



Orbital cavity (eyes)
Nasal cavity (nose)
Buccal cavity (mouth)
Dorsal cavity



One long continuous
cavity-smaller than
anterior cavities
Cranial cavity(cephalic)
contains the brain
Spinal cavity: contains
the spinal cord
Ventral or Anterior cavitylarger than dorsal cavities



Thoracic cavity: contains esophagus, trachea, bronchi, lungs, & heart, lg.
blood vessels
Abdomino-pelvic cavity
 Upper Abdominal cavity: stomach, large intestine (colon), small
intestine, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen
 Lower abdominal-pelvic cavity: urinary bladder, reproductive organs, last
part of large intestine
Diaphragm: muscle that separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominopelvic
THORACIC CAVITY
Heart, lungs
bronchial tubes,
trachea, esophagus

THORACIC CAVITY
DIAPHRAGM

The diaphragm is a muscle separating the
abdominal and thoracic cavities.
ABDOMINAL CAVITY
Contains stomach, small
and large intestine, spleen,
Pancreas, liver, gallbladder

ABDOMINAL PELVIC CAVITY
Portions of small
intestine, rectum, urinary
bladder, reproductive
organs

Abdominal quadrants (4)

Four quadrants with
the umbilicus at the
center




RUQ-right upper
LUQ-left upper
RLQ-right lower
LLQ-left lower
ABDOMINAL REGIONS-(9)
Abdominal Regions (9)









Right hypochondriac region-below ribs (right)
Left hypochondriac region-below ribs (left)
Epigastric region-Above stomach area
Umbilical region-”belly button”
Right lumbar region-near the waist area
Left lumbar region-near the waist area
Right inguinal (iliac) region-groin
Left inguinal (iliac) region-groin
Hypogastric region-below stomach area
3 Small Cavities



Orbital-eyes
Nasal-nose structures
Buccal-mouth


If an injury were described as a “posterior
cranial laceration,” where would the injury
be?
If an injury occurred in the LUQ, where would
this be?
STAB WOUND

What is the location of this stab wound?
STAB WOUND
APPENDECTOMY SCAR

How would you describe the location of this
scar?
GB SCAR

How would you describe the location of this
scar?
Image Citations





Slide 3: 8/27/06,
http://academic.kellogg.cc.mi.us/herbrandsonc/bio201
_McKinley/chapter1.htm
Slide 4: Sagittal plane, 8/27/06,
http://www.tech.nite.go.jp/human/eng/contents/cindex/r
eferencedevelop.html
Slide 5: Frontal plane, 8/27/06,
http://www.tech.nite.go.jp/human/eng/contents/cindex/r
eferencedevelop.html
Slide 7 & 9 &12: Directional terms, 8/27/06,
http://www.lrn.org/Graphics/figure1.7.gif
Slide 8: Anatomical terms, planes, 8/27/06,
http://trc.ucdavis.edu/mjguinan/apc100/modules/terms
cells&tissues/introduction/planes/planes.html
Image Citations



Slide 11: photo of a dog illustrating dorsal, ventral, anterior and
posterior, 8/27/06,
http://anthro.palomar.edu/animal/glossary.htm#bilateral_symmetr
y
Slide 14: Body cavities, 8/31/06,
http://www.templejc.edu/dept/biology/RHicks/biol2404Int/biol240
4onl_LAB.htm
Slide 16, 17: Delmar Learning’s Medical Terminology Image
Library, Second Edition, Version 1.0, 2003.