Body Cavities, Sectional Planes, and Directional Terms

Superior

Towards the head (upwards)

Inferior (caudal)

Towards the feet (downwards). Caudal specifically refers to towards the tailbone.

Proximal

(Region of a limb) towards the trunk of the body

Distal

further from the trunk of the body

medial

closer to the midline of the body

lateral

further from the midline of the body

anterior (ventral)

towards the front of the body

posterior (dorsal)

towards the back of the body

superficial

closer to the outer surface of the body

deep

further away from the outer surface of the body (inner)

frontal/coronal plane

divides the body into anterior-posterior

transverse plane

divides the body into superior-inferior sections

sagittal plane

divides the body into left-right sections (along midline)

What is the purpose of the dorsal cavity and what are its subdivisions?

Protects the central nervous system. Divided into cranial cavity (skull) and spinal cavity (vertebrae)

What is the purpose of the ventral cavity and what are its subdivisions?

Houses internal organs on the front (ventral) of the body. It is split into the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities.

subdivisions of abdominopelvic cavity

Abdominal cavity (Liver, stomach, pancreas, intestines) and pelvic cavity (bladder, reproductive organs)

subdivisions of the thoracic cavity (don’t think needs to be memorized for quiz)

Pleural cavities (lungs), mediastinum (trachea, esophagus), and the pericardial cavity (heart)