Anatomical Terminology, Body Planes, Cavities, and Regions

Vocabulary flashcards covering directional terms, anatomical body planes, body cavities, and abdominal quadrants and regions.

Superior (Cranial)

Above; toward the head end or upper part of a structure.

Inferior (Caudal)

Below; away from the head end or toward the lower part of a structure.

Anterior (Ventral)

Toward or at the front of the body.

Posterior (Dorsal)

Toward or at the back of the body; behind.

Medial

Toward the midline of the body; on the inner side.

Lateral

Away from the midline of the body; on the outer side.

Proximal

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

Distal

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

Superficial (External)

Toward or at the body surface.

Deep (Internal)

Away from the body surface; more internal.

Sagittal Plane

Divides the body lengthwise into right and left sides. A 'midsagittal' plane is exactly at the midline.

Transverse Plane (Horizontal)

Divides the body horizontally into upper (superior) and lower (inferior) portions. Often used in CT scans.

Frontal Plane (Coronal)

Divides the body lengthwise into anterior (front) and posterior (back) portions. Derived from the Latin word meaning crown.

Dorsal Cavity

Located at the back of the body; contains two continuous divisions: Cranial cavity (brain) and Spinal cavity (spinal cord).

Ventral Cavity

Located at the front of the body; divided by the diaphragm into the Thoracic cavity and the Abdominopelvic cavity.

Thoracic Cavity

Surrounded by ribs and chest muscles; contains two pleural cavities (lungs) and the mediastinum (heart, large vessels, trachea, esophagus).

Abdominopelvic Cavity

Subdivided into the Abdominal cavity (stomach, intestines, liver, spleen) and Pelvic cavity (bladder, reproductive organs, rectum).

The 4 Quadrants

Right Upper (RUQ), Left Upper (LUQ), Right Lower (RLQ), Left Lower (LLQ). Intersect at the umbilicus.

Epigastric Region

Top middle region; contains parts of the stomach, liver, and pancreas, left and right kidneys

Umbilical Region

Exact center region; contains the navel, stomach, pancreas, transverse colon, and small intestines.

Hypogastric region

Bottom middle region; contains the small intestines, sigmoid colon, and urinary bladder

Cephalic

Head area (includes frontal, orbital, nasal, oral, buccal, occipital, otic)

Cervical

Neck region

Thoracic (anterior)

Chest area (sternal, pectoral, mammary regions)

Brachial

Arm (specifically upper arm between shoulder and elbow)

Ante brachial

Forearm

Carpal and palmar

Wrist (carpal) and palm of the hand (palmar)

Femoral

Thigh area

Patellar and popliteal

Front of the knee (patellar) and back of knee (popliteal)

Gluteal & lumbar

Buttock (gluteal) and lower back (lumbar)

Right hypochondriac region

Liver, gallbladder, right kidney

Left hypochondriac region

Stomach, liver (tip), left kidney, spleen

Right lumbar region

Liver (tip), small intestines, ascending colon, right kidney

Right iliac region

Small intestines, appendix, cecum, ascending colon

Left lumbar region

Small intestines, descending colon, left kidney

Left iliac region

Small intestines, sigmoid colon, descending colon

Levels of structural hierarchy

Atoms, molecules, organelles, cells, tissues, organs, organs systems, organism

Epithelial tissue

Covers/lines surfaces; found in the outer layer of the skin, capillary walls, kidney tubules

Connective tissue

Connects and supports body parts; found in bone, cartilage, and adipose (fat) tissue

Muscle tissue

Contracts to produce movement; found in skeletal muscles and the heart

Nerve tissue

Generates and transmits impulses; found in the bran and nerves

Homeostasis

A state of dynamic equilibrium within the internal environment

Receptor

Detects external or internal changes

Control center

Receives and processes data from the receptor

Effector

Responds to signals to modify or correct the stimulus

Negative feedback

Opposes and reverses the direction of the change. Used by most body systems

Positive feedback

Reinforces and amplifies the direction of change

Imbalance

Failure to maintain homeostasis results in disease development

Anatomical position

Standing erect, arms at sides, palms facing forward