Anatomical Position and Relative Position Terms, Body Planes, Body Cavities

Anatomical Position

Body is: straight, feet slightly apart, thumbs pointed away from body (palms up)

Superior

a part is above another part (the thoracic cavity is superior to the abdominopelvic cavity)

Inferior

a part is below another part (the neck is inferior to the head)

Anterior (Ventral)

toward the front (the eyes are anterior to the brain)

Posterior (Dorsal)

toward the back (the pharynx is posterior to the oral cavity)

Medial

if its closer to midline than another part (the nose is medial to the eyes)

midline - an imaginary midline dividing the body into equal right and left halves

Lateral

toward the side, away from the midline (the ears are lateral to the nose)

midline - an imaginary midline dividing the body into equal right and left halves

Proximal

describes a part closer to the trunk than another part (the elbow is proximal to the wrist)

Distal

a body part is farther from the trunk (the fingers are distal to the wrist)

Deep

away from body’s surface, more internal

Superficial

towards the body’s surface

Bilateral

refers to paired structures, one on each side of the midline (ex. eyes, ears, wrists)

Ipsilateral

refers to structures on the same side (right lung and right kidney)

Contralateral

refers to structures on opposite sides (right lung and left kidney)

Median (Midsagittal) Plane

splits the body into left and right parts

Frontal (Coronal) Plane

splits the body into front and back parts

Transverse (Horizontal) Plane

splits the body into top and bottom halves

Cranial Cavity

dorsal cavity, contains the brain

Vertebral Cavity

dorsal body cavity, contains the spinal cord

Thoracic Cavity

ventral cavity, contains the lungs, heart, esophagus, and trachea

Abdominal Cavity

ventral body cavity, protects stomach and other digestive organs (idk lol)

Pelvic Cavity

ventral cavity, below abdominal cavity, protects organs there??

Abdominopelvic Cavity

abdominal + pelvic cavity

Top Right and Left Regions in the Abdominal Cavity

right and left hypocondriac regions

Middle Right and Left Regions in the Abdominal Cavity

right and left lumbar regions

Bottom Right and Left Regions in the Abdominal Cavity

right and left iliac regions

Middle Top Region in the Abdominal Cavity

Epigastric region

Middle Region in the Abdominal Cavity

Umbilical region

Middle Bottom Region in the Abdominal Cavity

hypogastric region

Quadrants in the Abdominal Cavity

Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ), Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ), Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ), Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ)

Right

right for the patient, left for the outside viewer

Left

left for the patient, right for the outside viewer

Membrane Names

differ depending on the cavity
serosa - ventral body cavities, pedicardium - heart cavity

Outside Membrane

parietal membrane, covers the interior of the cavity

Inside Membrane

visceral membrane, covers the organ