Body Planes and Terminology

Terminology:

  • Anatomical position: body erect, facing forward, feet together, psalm face forward

  • Supine position: lying upwards

  • Prone position: lying downwards

  • Superior/cephalic: towards head 

  • inferior/caudal: away from head

  • Medial: towards midline

  • Lateral: away from midline

  • Proximal: closer to attachment point of limb

  • Distal: farther from attachment point of limb

  • Superficial: closer to skin

  • Deep: farther from skin 

  • Anterior/ventral: closer to front

  • posterior/dorsal: farther from front

    \n

Body parts and regions:

Body planes:

  • Sagittal: vertically separates right and left

    • Parasagittal: separates right and left but not at midline

  • Coronal/frontal: vertically separates anterior and posterior

  • transverse/cross: horizontally separates superior and inferior

  • Oblique: other than a right angle

    \n

Planes through an organ: 

  • Longitudinal: cut through the length of an organ
  • cross/transverse: cut at right angle of length of the organ
  • Oblique: cut at any non right angle