Body Planes And Anatomical Position

Front 1

Anatomical Position:

Back 1

Erect person, arms by side, palms facing forward.

Front 2

Supine:

Back 2

Lying face up, palms up

Front 3

Prone:

Back 3

Anatomical position, face down.

Front 4

Superior (the meaning of description, and two other words for it)

Back 4

Cephalic or cranial. Towards the head.

e.g. Head superior to neck. Knees superior to ankles.

Front 5

Inferior (the meaning and other word for it)

Back 5

Caudal. Towards the tail. e.g. Pelvis inferior to stomach.

Front 6

Anterior (the meaning and other word for it)

Back 6

Ventral. Towards the front of the body. e.g. Breasts anterior to the spine.

Front 7

Posterior (the meaning and other word for it)

Back 7

Dorsal. Towards the back. e.g. Ankles are posterior to the toes.

Front 8

Proximal:

Back 8

(Usually used for limbs). Nearest from the point of attachment. e.g. the elbow is proximal to the wrist.

Front 9

Distal:

Back 9

Most distant from the point of attachment. e.g. the fingers are distal to the wrist.

Front 10

Medial:

Back 10

Towards the mid-line of the body. e.g. the nose is medial to the ears.

Front 11

Lateral:

Back 11

Away from the mid-line of the body. e.g. The ears are lateral to the lips.

Front 12

Superficial:

Back 12

Close to the surface. e.g. The skin is superficial to muscle and bone.

Front 13

Deep:

Back 13

Towards the interior/further into the body. e.g. The lungs are deeper than the ribs.

Front 14

Sagital/Median

Back 14

Runs vertically down the body, separating it into left and right parts.

Front 15

Frontal/coronal

Back 15

Runs vertically down the body dividing it into anterior and posterior parts.

Front 16

Transverse/Horizontal

Back 16

Runs parallel to the ground, dividing the body into superior and inferior portions.

Front 17

Oblique

Back 17

Does not run parallel to the frontal or transverse plane.

Front 18

What are the 3 cavities that the trunk of the body contains?

Back 18

1) Thoracic cavity

* Diaphragm

2) Abdominal cavity

3) Pelvic cavity

Sometime cavities 2 + 3 are grouped together and called the Abdominopelvic cavity

Front 19

What are the 4 subdivisions of the abdomen called?

Back 19

1) Right upper quadrant

2) Left upper quadrant

3) Right lower quadrant

4) Left lower quadrant

* Remember the right and left are the subjects personal right and left

Front 20

What are the 9 regions of the abdomen?

Back 20

1) Right hypochondriac region

2) Epigastric

3) Left hypochondriac

4) Right lumbar

5) Umbilical

6) Left lumbar

7) Right iliac

8) Hypogastric

9) Left iliac

Front 21

Define: serous membranes

Back 21

Membranes that line the cavities in the trunk of the body, as well as covering the organs within these cavities.

Front 22

What are the 2 layers of serous membranes.

Back 22

1) Parietal - Lines trunk cavity

2) Visceral - Layer lines the organ

* Serous fluid (mixture of water and proteins) fills the cavity between two layers - acting as a lubricant.

Front 23

Name 3 serous membranes -

Back 23

1) Pericardium - heart

2) Pleura - Lungs and thoracic cavity

3) Peritoneum - Abdominopelvic cavity.