ABDOMEN 3.

Left ureter
4. Pancreas (body and tail)
▪ Bordered posteriorly by the costal
5. Spleen
margins, inferiorly by the symphysis pubis,
6. Splenic flexure of colon
and inguinal canals, and laterally by the
7. Stomach
flanks.
8. Transverse descending colon
▪ Anatomic Divisions:
 Abdominal Quadrants LEFT LOWER QUADRANT (LLQ)
 Abdominal Wall Muscles
1. Left kidney (lower pole)
 Internal anatomy of the abdominal
2. Left ovary and tube
cavity.
3. Left ureter
ABDOMINAL QUADRANTS 4. Left spermatic cord
5. Descending and sigmoid colon
▪ Abdomens have four quadrants:
• Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ) MIDLINE
• Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ)
1. Bladder
• Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ) 2. Uterus
• Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ) 3. Prostate gland
▪ Quadrants are determined by an
imaginary vertical line (midline) extending ABDOMINAL WALL MUSCLES
from the tip of the sternum (xiphoid) ▪ Outermost layer – external abdominal
through the umbilicus to the symphysis oblique
pubis. ▪ Middle layer – internal abdominal oblique
RIGHT UPPER QUADRANT (RUQ) ▪ Innermost layer – transverse abdominis
▪ Rectus abdominis – vertical muscle of the
1. Ascending and Transverse Colon anterior abdominal wall.
2. Duodenum ▪ Abdominal wall muscles protect the
3. Gallbladder internal organs and allow normal
4. Hepatic flexure of Colon compression during functional activities
5. Liver
6. Pancreas (Head) INTERNAL ANATOMY
7. Pylorus (small bowel or ileum – traverses ▪ Peritoneum lines – thin, shiny, serous
all quadrants) membrane; lines the abdominal cavity
8. Right Adrenal Gland ▪ Also provides a protective covering for
9. Right Kidney (Upper pole) most of the internal abdominal organs
10. Right Ureter (visceral peritoneum)
RIGHT LOWER QUADRANT (RLQ) ▪ Abdominal Viscera – gastrointestinal,
reproductive (female), lymphatic, and
1. Appendix urinary
2. Ascending colon ▪ Solid Viscera – organs that maintain their
3. Cecum shapes consistently: liver, pancreas,
4. Right kidney (lower pole) spleen, adrenal glands, kidneys, ovaries,
5. Right ovary and tube and uterus.
6. Right ureter ▪ Hollow Viscera – consists of structures
7. Right spermatic cord that change the shape depending on their
LEFT UPPER QUADRANT (LUQ) contents: stomach, gallbladder, small
intestine, colon, and bladder.
1. Left adrenal gland
2. Left kidney (upper pole) Liver is the largest solid organ in the body.