1. Body Planes, Directions, and Cavities
JAMES VALLEY VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL CENTER

2. Body Planes, Directions, and Cavities

3. Body Planes:
Definition = imaginary lines drawn through the body to separate the body into sections
Refer to as any slice or cut through a 3 dimensional structure
What diagnostic exams use this technique?

4. Sagittal Plane
Divides the body or organ vertically into right and left unequal parts– words used with this plane include:
Medial = body parts located near the middle or midline of the body
Lateral = body parts located away from the midline or middle of the body
Proximal = body parts close to the point of reference
Distal = body parts away from the point of reference

5. Midsagittal Plane:
Divides the body vertically into EQUAL right and left sides
1. Medial = body parts located near the middle or midline of the body
2. Lateral = body parts located away from the midline or middle of the body

6. Frontal or Coronal Plane:
Divides the body into front and back section.
1. Anterior = body parts on the front of the body
2. Posterior = body parts on the back of the body

7. Transverse Plane:
Horizontal plane dividing the body into a top and bottom half
1. Superior = body parts above other parts
2. Inferior = body parts below other parts

8. Body Directions Superior – upper or above Inferior- lower or below
Anterior or ventral- in front of
Posterior- after or behind
medial- toward the midline- middle
Lateral – toward the side – away from midline
Proximal-toward the truck – near point of attachment

9. Body Directions Distal-away from origin or point of attachment
Dorsal- near the upper surface- toward the neck
Ventral- towrd the bottom- toward the belly
Cranial-refers to the head
Caudal – means tail
Internal- inside the body

10. Body Cavities: Spaces within the body which contain vital organs
Protect organs from shocks and bumps
Permit expansion and contraction without disrupting other organs

11. Posterior or Dorsal Cavity:
One long continuous cavity that is located on the back of the body, divided into two sections
Surrounds the brain and spinal
cord
1. Cranial Cavity = contains the brain
2. Spinal Cavity = contains the spinal cord

12. Anterior or Ventral Cavity:
Larger and separated into two distinct cavities --the chest and abdomen-
by a dome-shaped muscle called the diaphragm, which is important for breathing
1. Thoracic Cavity = located in the chest, contains the heart, lungs, and the large blood vessels
2. Abdominopelvic

13. 2. Abdominal Cavity = divided into upper and lower parts
Upper part contains the stomach, small intestines, most of the large intestines, liver, gallbladder, pancreas and spleen
3. Pelvic Cavity = lower abdominal cavity containing urinary bladder, the reproductive organs, and last part of the large intestines

14. Abdominal Regions: Quadrants
1. Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ)
2. Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ)
3. Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ)
4. Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ)

15. Abdominal Quadrants

16. Abdominal Regions: Epigastric- above the stomach Umbilical
belly button or umbilicus
Hypogastric or pelvic
below the stomach
Hypochondriac
below the ribs
Lumbar
Near the large bones of the spinal cord
Iliac or Inguinal
Near the groin

17. Abdominal Regions

18. Sooooooo…….What if….
You have a patient that has gangrene in the lower portion of their leg and you need to amputate….. You would make a ________________ cut through the leg.
The abdominal muscles and muscles of the back are separated by the _______________ plane.

19. OK, sooooo……. Which cavity is the heart found in?
Which cavity contains the spinal cord?
Which cavity contains the ovaries?
Which cavity contains the lungs?
Which cavity consists of the abdominopelvic and thoracic cavities?
Which cavity contains the cranial and spinal/vertrebral cavities?

20. BODY PLANES

22. Directional Terms

23. Bo d y c a v i t I e s

24. Abdominal Quadrants and Regions

25. Superior vs Inferior The forehead is ________ to the nose.
The lips are _________ to the chin.
The heart is _________ to the liver.
The umbilicus is ______ to the breastbone
The knee is ____ to the hip
The stomach is ______ to the lungs

26. Anterior vs Posterior The breatbone is _______ to the spine
Your front teeth are ______ to your back teeth.
The esophagus is _______ to the trachea
The spine is _______ to the heart

27. Medial vs Lateral The nose is _______ to the ears.
The lungs are ______ to the heart.

28. Proximal vs Distal The elbow is ______ to the wrist
The femur is ______ to the tibia
The knee is _____ to the thigh
The fingers are_______ to the elbow

29. Superficial Vs Deep The skin is _________ to the muscles
The epidermis is__________ to the dermis
The organs are ____ in relation to the skin
Sinuses are ________ in relation to the nose