Body Planes, Directions, and Cavities 7.2 Special terms are used when body is in anatomical position Body is facing forward Standing erect Holding arms at sides with palms of hands facing forward

Body Planes Imaginary lines drawn through the body at various parts to separate the body into sections Transverse plane- is one of 3 main planes, it is a horizontal plane that divides the body into top and bottom halves Superior; body parts above other parts Inferior; body parts below other parts Examples; knee is superior to ankle but inferior to hip Cranial- body parts located near the head Caudal- body parts located near the sacral region of the spinal column, or tail

Midsagittal or median plane- second plane that divides the body into right and left sides Medial- body parts close to the midline Lateral- body parts away from the midline Frontal or coronal plane- third plane of the body that divides the body into front and back sections Ventral or anterior- body parts on front of the body Dorsal or posterior- body parts on back of the body

Proximal- body parts close to the point of reference Distal – body parts away from the point of reference Used to describe the relationship of, for instance, the extremities to the main trunk of the body, generally called the point of reference Ex: wrist is distal and elbow is proximal to the shoulder or point of reference

Body Cavities Spaces within the body that contain vital organs Dorsal or Posterior Cavity- one long continuous cavity on back of the body that is divided into 2 sections; cranial cavity that contains the brain; spinal cavity that contains the spinal cord Ventral or Anterior Cavity- larger than the dorsal cavity and is divided into two distinct cavities by the diaphragm, the Thoracic cavity and the Abdominal cavity

Thoracic Cavity- located in the chest and contains the esophagus, trachea, bronchi, lungs, heart, and the large blood vessels Abdominal or abdomino-pelvic Cavity- divided into upper and lower parts; upper cavity contains the stomach, small intestines, most of large intestine, lover, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, appendix; lower cavity contains urinary bladder, reproductive organs, and last part of large intestine The kidneys are technically located outside the abdominal cavity in an area called the retroperitoneal space

Three small cavities Orbital- eyes Nasal- nose Buccal (mouth) teeth and tongue

Abdominal Regions Abdominal cavity separated into regions or sections because it is so large Quadrants- divides the abdominal area into four areas; right upper quadrant (RUQ), right lower quadrant (RLQ), left upper quadrant (LUQ), and left lower quadrant (LLQ) Regions- divides abdominal area into sections: Epigastric- upper center above stomach Umbilical- middle center by umbilicus Hypogastric or pelvic- lower center region Hypochondriac- either side below ribs Lumbar- either side by large bones of spinal cord Iliac or inguinal- either side by groin