USMDO Custom Cards

Anterior (ventral)

toward the front

Posterior (dorsal)

toward the back

Superior (cranial)

toward the head

Inferior (caudal)

toward the tail

Proximal

Closer to the point of attachment

Distal

Father away from the point of attachment

Medial

Closer to the midline

Lateral

Farther away from the midline

Superficial

Closer to the surface

Deep

Farther below the surface

Axial region

head, neck, trunk

Appendicular

Upper and lower limbs/appendages

Upper limb

arm

Lower limb

leg

Cephalic

head

Occipital

back of head

Cervical

neck

Thoracic

chest

Sternal

sternum

Abdominal

abdomen

Pelvic

pelvis

Palmar

palm

Inguinal

groin

Pubic

genital region

Pedal

foot

Dorsal

back

Vertebral

spinal column

Lumbar

lower back/loin

Sacral

between hips

Gluteal

buttock

Popliteal

back of knee

Sural

calf

Plantar

sole of foot

Manual

hand

Cranial

skull

Frontal

forehead

Occular

eye

Otic

ear

Nasal

nose

Buccal

cheek

Oral

mouth

Mental

chin

Axillary

armpit

Acromial

top of shoulder

Brachial

upper arm

Antecubital

front of elbow

Antebrachial

forearm

Carpal

wrist

Pollex

thumb

Metacarpal

palm

Digital

fingers/toes

Coxal

hip

Femoral

thigh

Patellar

kneecap

Crural

lower leg

Tarsal

ankle

Metatarsal

top of foot

Hallux

big/great toe

Sagittal plane

vertical division of the body into right and left portions

Midsagittal/median plane

divides the body into equal right and left sides

Parasagittal plane

Divides body into unequal right and left sides

Frontal (coronal) plane

divides the body into anterior and posterior parts

Transverse (horizontal) plane

divides the body into superior and inferior parts

Oblique plane

passes through the body at an angle

Cavity

- fluid-filled space within the body

- protects internal organs, allows them to move and expand as necessary

Dorsal body cavity

- contains the cranial cavity and spinal column

- continuous and filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF); bathes and protects both brain and spinal cord

Cranial cavity

within skull; protects brain

Vertebral (spinal) cavity

within vertebral column; protects spinal cord

Ventral body cavity

- thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities

- separated into two divisions by diaphragm

Thoracic cavity

- contains pleural cavities, mediastinum, pericardial cavity

- superior to diaphragm

Pleural cavities

each surround either left or right lung

Mediastinum

between pleural cavities; houses heart, great vessels, trachea, and esophagus; not within serous membrane

Pericardial cavity

within mediastinum; within serous membrane that surrounds heart

Abdominopelvic cavity

abdominal cavity and pelvic cavity

Abdominal cavity

spans from diaphragm to bony pelvis

Pelvic cavity

area within bony pelvis

Peritoneal cavity

abdominal subcavity found within serous membrane

Right upper quadrant (RUQ)

- upper left side

- contains most of biliary system, including gallbladder on far right, half of pancreas and most of liver and bile ducts

Right lower quadrant (RLQ)

- lower left side

- contains appendix, half of uterus, half of bladder, half of small intestine, half of large intestine

Left upper quadrant (LUQ)

- upper right side

- spleen, stomach, 1/3 of liver

Left lower quadrant (LLQ)

- lower right side

- contains half of uterus, half of bladder, half of small intestine, half of large intestine

Right hypochondriac region

liver, gallbladder

top right

Epigastric region

located above the stomach

top center

Left hypochondriac region

diaphragm, spleen

top left

Right lumbar region

ascending colon of large intestine

middle right

Umbilical region

centermost region, includes the umbilicus

middle center

Left lumbar region

descending colon of large intestine

middle left

Right iliac region

cecum, appendix

bottom right

Hypogastric region

located below the stomach, bladder, uterus

bottom center

Left iliac region

small intestines, descending colon, sigmoid colon

bottom left

Serous membranes

Thin sheets of tissue; form certain cavities found in ventral cavity

appear to be two membranes when sectioned; actually consists of a single, continuous layer of tissue; folds over itself to create a double-layered structure

Serous fluid

watery, slippery lubricant

fills space between membrane layers

prevents friction

Visceral layer

in contact with underlying organ

Parietal layer

outermost layer attached to surrounding structures

Retroperitoneal organs

organs that lie outside of and behind parietal peritoneum (kidneys)

X-Ray

uses ionizing radiation

Computerized tomography (CT) scan

uses ionizing radiation; 3-D image is computer generated from data

bones and soft tissue, visualize slices of body

Magnetic resonance imagine (MRI)

body is placed within a magnetic field; computer compiles data producing a 3-D image

powerful magnet where the magnetic field is used to align the magnetization of some atomic nuclei in the body, and radio frequency magnetic fields are applied to systematically alter the alignment of this magnetization

Ultrasound

high frequency sound waves, substances of different densities reflect back waves, transducer records those reflected waves

Positron Emission Tomography (Pet Scan)

radioactive tracers travel though blood to organs and tissues, PET detects signals from tracer. Can pick up metabolically active tissues (cancer diagnosis)