1. Body Planes, Directions, and Cavities

2. Introduction
to care for patients, you must be able to identify areas of the body for treatments, injections, or diagnoses
directional terms locate a portion of the body or describe a position of the body eg. supine or prone
for examination purposes, patients are either lying face up (supine) or face down (prone)

3. Body Planes
Imaginary lines drawn through body at various parts to separate body into sections
Directional terms are created by these planes
Three main planes:
Transverse
Sagittal (Midsagittal)
Frontal

4. Transverse Plane
Horizontal plane that divides the body into top and bottom parts
Body parts above other parts are called superior
Body parts below other parts are called inferior
ex: knee is superior to ankle, but inferior to hip

5. Sagittal Plane divides the body into right and left sides
Midsagittal plane divides the body into equal halves
Body parts close to the midline, or plane, are called medial
Body parts away from the midline are called lateral

6. Frontal or Coronal Plane
Divides the body into front and back sections
Body parts in front of plane, or on the front of the body are called anterior
Body parts in back of plane, or on the back of the body are called posterior

7. Other Directional Terms
Proximal: body parts close to the main trunk of the body (generally called the point of reference)
Distal: body parts distant from the point of reference
Superficial: toward the body surface
Deep: away from the body surface

8. Body Cavities Spaces within body that contain vital organs
Two main body cavities:
Dorsal
One long, continuous cavity located on back of body
Divided into two sections: cranial, which contains the brain, and the spinal cavity, which contains the spinal cord

9. Body Cavities Ventral on the front side of the body
Separated into two distinct parts by diaphragm
Thoracic cavity is located in chest and contains heart, lungs and major blood vessels
Abdominal cavity is divided into upper and lower parts
Upper abdominal cavity contains organs of digestive and urinary system
Pelvic cavity contains reproductive organs

10. Abdominal Cavity
Abdominal cavity is so large it is divided into smaller parts
One method is into quadrants (Right Upper Quadrant, Left Upper Quadrant, Right Lower Quadrant, Left Lower Quadrant)
Another method is into regions

11. Abdominal Regions Center region Either side of center region
Epigastric (above stomach)
Umbilical (near the umbilicus or navel)
Hypogastric (below navel)
Either side of center region
Hypochondriac (below ribs)
Lumbar (near the waist)
Iliac, or inguinal (near the hipbone)

12. Apply your Knowledge
Loretta complains of abdominal pain. The emergency room physician suspects that she may have appendicitis.
In which of the following quadrants is the appendix located?
A. RUQ
B. RLQ
C. LUQ
D. LLQ
Answer: B. RLQ

13. Apply your Knowledge
This patient is being examined. Which of the following positions is she in?
A. Prone
B. Supine
Answer: B. Supine

14. Apply your Knowledge
Complete the following statements by adding the correct directional terms.
The hands are ________________ to the elbow.
distal
The nose is _______________ to the ear.
medial
The stomach is _____________ to the heart and ________________ to the intestines.
inferior, superior
answers: distal, medial, inferior, superior

15. Apply your Knowledge
What are the opposites for the following directional terms?
deep
posterior
inferior
supine
lateral
superficial
anterior
superior
prone
medial