Regional Terms and Body Planes

Regional Terms

• Regional terms are names of specific body regions, not for comparisons like directional terms.
• Key regional terms and their meanings:
  • Axillary: Armpit region.
    • Example: Axillary arteries and veins, named for their location.
  • Acromial: Tip of the shoulder. The bony point on your shoulder.
    • Example: The acromion of the scapula is in this region.
  • Brachial: The arm, specifically from the shoulder to the elbow.
    • The region beyond the elbow is the forearm.
    • Brachium is the noun.
    • Examples: Brachial artery, brachial vein, biceps brachii muscle.
  • Carpal: Wrist.
    • The bones in the wrist are called carpals.
    • Example: Carpal tunnel syndrome affects the wrist.
  • Cervical: Neck.
    • Also refers to the neck of the uterus.
    • Example: Cervical vertebrae in the neck.
  • Digital: Fingers or toes (digits).
  • Femoral: Thigh, from hip to knee.
    • From knee to ankle is the leg.
    • Example: The femur is the bone in the thigh.
  • Frontal: Forehead, not towards the front.
  • Orbital: Eye socket.
  • Patellar: Area of the knee (kneecap).
    • The patella is the kneecap.
  • Tarsal: Ankle.
    • The bones in the ankle are called tarsals.
  • Thoracic: Chest, specifically the rib cage area.
    • Not just the upper chest (pectoral), but the entire rib cage.
  • Dorsal/Dorsum: Back, both upper and lower.
  • Plantar: Sole of the foot.
  • Deltoid: Entire shoulder region.
    • The deltoid muscles are in the shoulder.
  • Gluteal: Butt.
    • Example: Gluteus maximus muscle.
  • Lumbar: Lower back, inferior to the ribs.
  • Occipital: Back of the head.
    • Example: Occipital bone, occipital lobes of the brain.

Body Planes (Viewpoints)

• Body planes are viewpoints for looking at the body in diagrams, as if cutting up a body.
  • Sagittal: Cutting the left side from the right side of the body.
    • Divides the body into left and right portions.
  • Transverse: Cutting across the body to separate upper and lower parts.
    • Divides the body into superior and inferior portions.
    • Used in medical imaging like MRIs, PET scans, and CAT scans.
  • Frontal/Coronal: Cutting the front of the body away from the back.
    • Divides the body into anterior and posterior portions.

Examples of Body Planes

• Sagittal: Used to view the male reproductive tract, showing internal structures effectively.
  • A frontal view would only show the prostate gland and bladder, missing other important structures.
• Frontal: Ideally used for viewing the heart to see all four chambers, valves, and blood vessels.
  • A sagittal view would only show the wall in the middle of the heart.
• Transverse: Used to view the brain, allowing better visualization of structures such as tumors.
  • A sagittal view could miss the tumor.

Importance of Viewpoint

• Always check the viewpoint of any diagram in textbooks, atlases, or other resources to get oriented.