Body Planes & Surface Anatomy – Key Vocabulary

Comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering anatomical position, directional terminology, body planes, cavities, abdominal divisions, and major surface landmarks from the lecture notes.

Anatomical Position

Standard body stance: standing upright, face forward, feet together, arms at sides with palms facing forward.

Anterior (Ventral)

Toward the front of the body.

Posterior (Dorsal)

Toward the back of the body.

Superior (Cranial)

Toward the head or upper part of a structure.

Inferior (Caudal)

Away from the head; toward the lower part of a structure.

Medial

Toward the midline of the body.

Lateral

Away from the midline of the body.

Intermediate

Between a more medial and a more lateral structure.

Proximal

Closer to the origin of a body part or point of limb attachment to the trunk.

Distal

Farther from the origin of a body part or point of limb attachment to the trunk.

Superficial

Toward or at the body surface.

Deep

Away from the body surface; more internal.

Dorsal (hand)

Posterior surface of the hand.

Palmar

Anterior (palm) surface of the hand.

Plantar

Inferior surface (sole) of the foot.

Rostral (brain)

Toward the nose or front of the brain.

Caudal (brain)

Toward the tail or posterior part of the brain.

Sagittal Plane

Vertical plane dividing the body into right and left parts.

Midsagittal (Median) Plane

Sagittal plane that lies exactly in the midline, producing equal right and left halves.

Parasagittal Plane

Any sagittal plane offset from the midline, producing unequal halves.

Coronal (Frontal) Plane

Vertical plane dividing the body into anterior and posterior portions.

Transverse (Horizontal/Axial) Plane

Horizontal plane dividing the body into superior and inferior portions.

Oblique Plane

Plane cut at an angle other than 90° to the horizontal or vertical planes.

Supine

Body lying face up.

Prone

Body lying face down.

Dorsal Body Cavity

Posterior cavity consisting of the cranial and vertebral (spinal) cavities.

Cranial Cavity

Dorsal cavity housing the brain.

Vertebral (Spinal) Cavity

Dorsal cavity enclosing the spinal cord.

Ventral Body Cavity

Anterior cavity containing thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities.

Thoracic Cavity

Superior ventral cavity; contains pleural cavities, mediastinum, and pericardial cavity.

Pleural Cavities

Paired cavities that each surround a lung.

Pericardial Cavity

Cavity within the mediastinum that encloses the heart.

Mediastinum

Central thoracic compartment between lungs, containing heart, esophagus, trachea.

Diaphragm

Muscular sheet separating thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities.

Abdominopelvic Cavity

Ventral cavity inferior to the diaphragm; subdivided into abdominal and pelvic cavities.

Abdominal Cavity

Superior portion of abdominopelvic cavity; contains digestive viscera.

Pelvic Cavity

Inferior portion of abdominopelvic cavity; contains bladder, reproductive organs, rectum.

Four Abdominal Quadrants

RUQ, LUQ, RLQ, LLQ – clinical divisions to localize pain or pathology.

Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ)

Contains liver, gallbladder, duodenum, head of pancreas, right kidney.

Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ)

Contains stomach, spleen, left lobe of liver, pancreas body, left kidney.

Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ)

Contains cecum, appendix, right ureter, right reproductive organs.

Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ)

Contains sigmoid colon, left ureter, left reproductive organs.

Nine Abdominal Regions

Right & Left Hypochondriac, Epigastric, Right & Left Lumbar, Umbilical, Right & Left Iliac (Inguinal), Hypogastric (Pubic).

Right Hypochondriac Region

Houses liver, gallbladder, right kidney, part of small intestine.

Epigastric Region

Contains stomach, liver, pancreas, duodenum, spleen, adrenal glands.

Left Hypochondriac Region

Contains spleen, part of stomach & colon, pancreas tail, left kidney.

Right Lumbar Region

Contains right colon, gallbladder, liver.

Umbilical Region

Central area with umbilicus, parts of small intestine, duodenum.

Left Lumbar Region

Contains descending colon, left kidney.

Right Iliac (Inguinal) Region

Contains appendix, cecum.

Hypogastric (Pubic) Region

Contains urinary bladder, sigmoid colon, female reproductive organs.

Left Iliac (Inguinal) Region

Contains descending and sigmoid colon.

Vertex

Highest point of the head.

External Occipital Protuberance

Palpable bump on the posterior skull.

External Auditory Meatus

Opening of the ear canal.

Outer Canthus

Lateral corner of the eye.

Infra-orbital Point

Depression below the orbit (cheek area).

Nasion

Midline junction between frontal and nasal bones, at root of nose.

Glabella

Smooth area between the eyebrows above the nasion.

Clavicle

Collarbone; horizontal bone at base of neck.

Suprasternal (Jugular) Notch

Depression at superior border of the manubrium of sternum.

Sternum

Breastbone; anterior midline bone of thorax.

Xiphoid Process

Small cartilaginous tip of the sternum.

Costal Margin

Lower edge of the chest formed by cartilages of ribs 7–10.

Subcostal Angle

Angle where the right and left costal margins meet at the xiphoid.

Surface Anatomy

Study of external landmarks to infer internal structures, essential for clinical examination and imaging.

Clinical Orientation Question

‘What changes from supine to prone?’ – anterior vs. posterior relations reversed.