Anatomy & Physiology I: Body Plan and Organization Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards focusing on anatomical directional terms, body cavities, abdominopelvic regions and quadrants, and anatomical planes from Lab 1.

Anatomical Position

A standard reference posture where the body stands upright with feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing forward, arms extended parallel to hips, palms facing forward, and thumbs pointing away from the body.

Superior (Cranial)

A directional term describing a location towards the head.

Inferior (Caudal)

A directional term describing a location towards the feet.

Anterior (Ventral)

A directional term describing a location at or closer to the front of the body.

Posterior (Dorsal)

A directional term describing a location at or closer to the back of the body.

Medial

A directional term describing a location nearer to the midline of the body.

Lateral

A directional term describing a location farther from the midline of the body.

Proximal

A directional term describing a location closer to a structure's attachment point.

Distal

A directional term describing a location farther from a structure's attachment point.

Superficial

A directional term describing a position toward or at the body surface.

Deep

A directional term describing a position away from the body surface.

Dorsal Body Cavity

An internal cavity that holds and protects organs of the central nervous system within the skull and vertebral column, subdivided into cranial and vertebral cavities.

Cranial Cavity

A sub-cavity of the dorsal body cavity that encloses and protects the brain.

Vertebral Cavity

A sub-cavity of the dorsal body cavity that encloses and protects the spinal cord.

Ventral Body Cavity

An internal body cavity subdivided into the superior thoracic cavity and the inferior abdominopelvic cavity.

Thoracic Cavity

The superior portion of the ventral body cavity, surrounded by the ribs and chest muscles, containing pleural cavities and the mediastinum.

Pleural Cavities

Subdivisions that occupy the lateral portions of the thoracic cavity and contain the lungs.

Mediastinum

The region occupying the medial portion of the thoracic cavity that contains the pericardial cavity housing the heart.

Abdominopelvic Cavity

The large cavity located inferior to the thoracic cavity, divided into the abdominal cavity superiorly and pelvic cavity inferiorly.

Abdominal Cavity

The superior portion of the abdominopelvic cavity containing the stomach, liver, spleen, pancreas, gallbladder, small intestine, most of the large intestine, kidneys, and adrenal glands.

Pelvic Cavity

The inferior portion of the abdominopelvic cavity containing the urinary bladder, reproductive system organs, and rectum.

Diaphragm

The muscle that separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominopelvic cavity.

Abdominopelvic Quadrants

A clinical scheme using two intersecting lines at the umbilicus to divide the abdominopelvic cavity into four areas: RUQ, LUQ, RLQ, and LLQ.

Nine Abdominopelvic Regions

An anatomical scheme dividing the abdominopelvic cavity into nine regions: right hypochondriac, epigastric, left hypochondriac, right lumbar, umbilical, left lumbar, right iliac, hypogastric, and left iliac.

Sagittal Plane

A vertical plane that divides the body into right and left parts.

Midsagittal (Median) Plane

A sagittal plane made directly along the midline of the body, dividing it into equal right and left halves.

Parasagittal Plane

A sagittal plane made lateral to the midline of the body.

Frontal Plane

A vertical plane that divides the body into anterior (ventral) and posterior (dorsal) parts.

Transverse Plane

A horizontal plane that divides the body into superior and inferior parts, also referred to as a cross section.