1.02 Directional Terms and Anatomical Positions

Basic Anatomical Position (BAP)

facing forward, feet flat, arms out, palms facing forward

Prone

On your stomach

Supine

lying on your back (on your spine)

Trendelenburg

Table of bed that is tilted so the head is lower than the feet

Fowler's

Fowler's - 45 degree angle

Low Fowler's - 30 degree angle

High Fowler's - 90 degree angle

Anterior/Ventral

Front

Posterior/Dorsal

Back

Cranial

Towards the head

Caudial

Towards the tail

Superior

Above or top

Inferior

Below or bottom

Medial

Towards the middle

Lateral

Towards the side

Proximal

Closest to the point of attachment

Distal

Farthest from the point of attachment

Superficial

On the surface of the skin

Deep

Inside

Sagittal Plane

side to side, or mid Sagittal - complete center

Frontal (Coronal)

front and back

Transverse

top and bottom

Thoracic Cavity

(ventral) heart, lungs, bronchi, trachea, esophagus, thymus

Abdominal Cavity

(ventral) stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, speel, large and small intestine, appendix

Pelvic Cavity

(ventral) Urinary bladder, reproductive organs, rectum

Abdominopelvic Cavity

(ventral) abdominal and pelvic cavities

Cranial Cavity

(dorsal) Brain

Spinal Cavity

(dorsal) Spinal Cord

Abdominal Quadrants

4 subdivisions of the abdomen,navel (belly button) is the landmark you'll use to visualize these quadrants. The terms left/right and upper/lower are always from the perspective of the BAP.

Right Upper Quadrant

Liver, stomach, gallbladder, duodenum, right kidney, pancreas, and the right adrenal gland

Right Lower Quadrant

Appendix, reproductive organs, right ureter

Left Upper Quadrant

Liver, Stomach, Pancreas, Left kidney, Spleen, and the left adrenal gland

Left Lower Quadrant

Left ureter, reproductive organs

All four quadrants contain...

portions of the small and large intestines

Hypochondriac Region (Left and Right)

the prefix "hypo" means below or under. The word "chondriac" means cartilage, which is referring to the cartilage of the ribs

Lumbar Regions (Left and Right)

Lumbar refers to vertebrae in your lower back

iliac region (Left and Right)

The top of the hip bone has what is called the iliac crest

Epigastric Region

"epi" means above, "gastric" means stomach or belly

Umbilical Region

umbilical region contains your naval, called the umbilicus

Hypogastric Region

"hypo" means below and "gastric" means stomach or belly