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Compendium 1 Part 2

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7 views

Compendium 1 Part 2

Uploaded by

olivia.lucano25
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Compendium 1

What is life?
Part 2: Anatomical terminology

What is the anatomical position?


 The standard reference we use to describe body parts and their position/relation to
other parts
 An erect person with
- Face directed forwards
- Upper limbs hanging by side; palms forward
- Lower limbs straight
 Why is this important

Other body positions


Directional terms
Superior
 Towards the head
Eg. The chin is superior to the navel
- Also known as cranial or cephalic
Inferior
 Towards the feet (tail)
- Eg. The pelvis is inferior to the stomach
- Also known as caudal

Anterior
 Towards the front
Eg. The breast is anterior to the spine
- Also known as ventral

Posterior
 Towards the back
- eg. Kidneys are posterior to the navel
- Known as dorsal

Proximal
 Means “close to”
- eg. The elbow is proximal to the wrist

Distal
 Means “far from”
- eg. The toes are distal to the knee
- The relative positions of structures – usually relevant to the limbs

Medial
 Towards the mid-line of the body
Eg. Sternum is medial to the shoulder

Lateral
 Away from the mid-line of the body
e.g the ears are lateral to the nose

Superficial
 Closer to the surface
- e.g the skin is superficial to the bone

Deep
 Towards the interior of the body
- eg. The muscle is deep to the dermis
Sagittal plane
 Separates the body into right and left parts
 The median plane is mid-sagittal – complete split down the middle

Eg. Of a mid-saggital plane

Frontal plane
 Separates the body into anterior and posterior parts
 Eg. Coronal suture of the skull across the top, where one would wear a crown
Transverse plane
 Separates the body into superior and inferior parts
 The plane runs parallel to the ground

Oblique plane
 Does not run parallel to the other planes
 Does not make a right angle

Body Cavities
- Closed to the outside
- provide protection
- contain our internal organs (organs also called viscera)

Cavities
1. Thoracic cavity - most superior (heart and lungs) –
- in-between this cavity (mediastinum) – hoses the heart/ trachea/ oesophagus
2. Abdominal cavity – inferior to the thoracic cavity and diaphragm (stomach,
intestines)
3. Pelvic cavity – abdominopelvic cavity
- contains urinary bladder, reproductive organs
Subdivisions of the abdomen
 Quadrants (4)
 Regions (9)
 Reference points to locate underlying organs

NEED TO
KNOW
QUADRANTS
AND
REGIONS
AND THE
ORGANS
LOCATED IN
THEM

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