Chp 2: Body Cavities and Quadrants

ventral

anterior; pertaining to the front

ventral cavities

cavities are in the front of the body

dorsal

posterior; pertaining to the back

dorsal cavities

cavities are in the back

cranial cavity

space in the head containing the brain and surrounded by the skull.

thoracic cavitiy

space in the chest containing the lungs, heart, esophagus, trachea, bronchial tubes, thymus gland, and aorta(large artery)

abdominal cavity

Space below the chest containing organs such as the liver, stomach, gallbladder, and intestines; also called the abdomen or peritoneal cavity.

pelvic cavity

Space below the abdomen containing portions of the intestines, rectum, urinary bladder, and reproductive organs.

spinal cavity

space within the spinal column(backbones) containing the spinal cord

diaphragm

muscle separating the abdominal and thoracic cavities; moves up and down to aid in breathing

mediastinum

centrally located space outside of and between the lungs

pelvic

pertaining to the pelvis

peritoneum

double-folded membrane surrounding the abdominal cavity; attaches abdominal viscera to muscles and functions as a protective membrane around the organs

pleura

double-folded membrane surrounding each lung

pleural cavity

space between the pleural layers

hypochondriac

right and left upper regions beneath the ribs

epigastric

middle upper region above the stomach

lumbar

right and left middle regions near the waist

umbilical

central region near the navel

inguinal

right and left lower regions near the groin; also called iliac regions

hypogastric

middle lower region below umbilical region

RUQ

right upper quadrant

LUQ

left upper quadrant

RLQ

right lower quadrant

LLQ

left lower quadrant

cervical

neck region ( C1 to C7)

thoracic

chest region (T1 to T12)

lumbar

Loin(waist) region (L1 to L5)

sacral

region of the sacrum (S1 to S5)

coccygeal

region of the coccyx(tailbone)

vertebra

single backbone

vertebrae

backbones

spinal column

bone tissue surrounding the spinal cavity

spinal cord

nervous tissue within spinal cavity

disc

pad of cartilage between vertebrae

anterior(ventral)

front side of the body

posterior(dorsal)

back side of the body

deep

away from the surface

superficial

on the surface

proximal

near the point of attachment trunk or near the beginning of a structure

distal

far from the point of attachment to the trunk or far from the beginning of a structure

inferior

below another structure

superior

above another structure

medial

pertaining to the middle, or nearer the medial plane of the body

lateral

pertaining to the side

supine

lying on the back

prone

lying on the belly

plane

imaginary flat surface

frontal (coronal) plane

vertical plane dividing the body or structure into anterior and posterior portions

sagittal (lateral) plane

lengthwise vertical plane dividing the body or structure into right and left sides

midsagittal plane

divides the body into equal right and left halves

transverse (axial) plane

horizontal (cross-sectional) plan running across the body parallel to the ground