Anatomical Terms

Front 1

medial

Back 1

middle

Front 2

lateral

Back 2

away from midline

Front 3

anterior( ventral)

Back 3

front

Front 4

posterior (dorsal)

Back 4

back ( or behind)

Front 5

superior

Back 5

higher

Front 6

inferior

Back 6

lower

Front 7

proximal

Back 7

closest to attachment point

Front 8

distal

Back 8

farthest away from attachment point

Front 9

Sagittal Plane

Back 9

a vertical line which divides the body into a left section and a right section.

Front 10

Coronal Plane

Back 10

a vertical line which divides the body into a front (anterior) section and back (posterior) section.

Front 11

Transverse Plane

Back 11

a horizontal line which divides the body into an upper (superior) section and a bottom (inferior) section.

Front 12

Axis

Back 12

A line between two points that is used to give direction to an anatomical region

Front 13

Axial Region

Back 13

makes up the main axis of the body. It includes the head, neck, chest, and trunk of the human body.

Front 14

Appendicular Region

Back 14

makes up the parts of the body that connect to the axial region. This includes the limbs and appendages of the human body.

Front 15

The Dorsoventral axis (DV axis)\

Back 15

the axis formed by the connection of the dorsal and ventral points of a region. The region between the belly (ventral) and back (dorsal) is often described

Front 16

The Anterioposterior axis (AP axis)

Back 16

formed by the connection of the anterior (top) and posterior (bottom) ends of a region.

Front 17

Thoracic Cavity

Back 17

The ventral body chamber that contains the pericardial cavity (the heart) and the pleural cavity (the lungs)

Front 18

dorsal cavity

Back 18

The cavity in the back of the body that contains the cranial and vertebral cavities, which house the brain and spinal cord respectively.

Front 19

abdominoplevic cavity

Back 19

The ventral body chamber that contains the abdominal cavity (primarily digestive system) and the pelvic cavity (primarily reproductive system).

Front 20

Right upper quadrant

Back 20

contains the right portion of the liver, the gallbladder, right kidney, a small portion of the stomach, portions of the ascending and transverse colon, and parts of small intestine.

Front 21

nine divisions

Back 21

Another system for dividing the abdominalpelvic cavity into regions that has a greater number of smaller regions compared to the 4 quadrants system.

Front 22

Left lower quadrant

Back 22

houses the majority of the small intestine, some of the large intestine, the left female reproductive organs, and the left ureter.

Front 23

right lower quadrant

Back 23

sits the cecum, appendix, part of the small intestines, the right female reproductive organs, and the right ureter.

Front 24

left upper quadrant

Back 24

the location of the left portion of the liver, the larger portion of the stomach, the pancreas, left kidney, spleen, portions of the transverse and descending colon, and parts of the small intestine.

Front 25

Right Hypochondriac

Back 25

contains the right portion of the liver, the gallbladder, the right kidney, and parts of the small intestine.

Front 26

Left Hypochondriac

Back 26

contains part of the spleen, the left kidney, part of the stomach, the pancreas, and parts of the colon.

Front 27

Epigastric

Back 27

(meaning above stomach) region contains the majority of the stomach, part of the liver, part of the pancreas, part of the duodenum, part of the spleen, and the adrenal glands. This region pushes out when the diaphragm above it contracts during breathing.

Front 28

Right Lumbar

Back 28

consists of the gallbladder, the left kidney, part of the liver, and the ascending colon.

Front 29

Left Lumbar

Back 29

consists of the descending colon, the left kidney, and part of the spleen.

Front 30

Umbilicus

Back 30

contains the umbilicus (navel), and many parts of the small intestine, such as part of the duodenum, the jejunum, and the illium. It also contains the transverse colon (the section between the ascending and descending colons) and the bottom portions of both the left and right kidney.

Front 31

Right Iliac

Back 31

contains the appendix, cecum, and the right illiac fossa. It is also commonly referred to as the right inguinal region. Pain in this area is generally associated with appendicitis.

Front 32

Left Iliac

Back 32

contains part of the descending colon, the sigmoid colon, and the right illiac fossa. It is also commonly called the left inguinal region.

Front 33

Hypogastric

Back 33

(meaning below the stomach) contains the organs around the pubic bone. These organs include bladder, part of the sigmoid colon, the anus, and many organs of the reproductive system, such as the uterus and ovaries in females, and the prostate in males.