Medical Terminoloy: Body Structres
Learn all about body structures!
Body Planes
The body has three planes: midsagittal, coronal, and transverse.
The midsagittal plane cuts the body symmetrically in half from top to bottom, creating a right and left side (laterals) and a middle (median)
The coronal plane cuts the body vertically from the side, creating the anterior (front) and posterior (back) aspects of the body.
The transverse plane cuts the body in half vertically at the abdomen, creating a superior (upper) and inferior (lower) portion of the body.
Body Cavities
The body has two major cavities: The dorsal an ventral, each containing cavities of their own.
The dorsal cavity includes those that are located in the superior body, the cranial (brain) and spinal (spinal cord) cavities.
The ventral cavity includes those that are located in the torso region of the body, the thoracic (which include the heart and lungs) and abdominopelvic (which includes digestive, excretory, and reproductive organs) cavities.
Body Quadrants
There are four abdominal quadrant located within the body.
The first of these four is the right upper quadrant (RUQ). The right upper quadrant contains the right portion of the liver, the gallbladder, and part of the pancreas, part of the small and large intestines.
The second is the left upper quadrant (LUQ). This quadrant contains the left lobe of the liver, the stomach, the spleen, part of the pancreas, and parts of the small and large intestines.
The third is the right lower quadrant (RLQ). This quadrants includes par of the small an large intestines, the appendix, the right ovary, the right fallopian tube, and the right ureter.
The fourth and final quadrant is the left lower quadrant (LLQ). This includes part of the small and large intestines, the let ovary, the left fallopian tube, and the left ureter.