ANATOMICAL POSITION

The correct anatomical position is the following:

 Standing upright
 Head and eyes directed straight ahead
 Upper limbs at the sides
 Upper limbs slightly away from trunk
 Palms facing forward
 Thumbs pointing away from body
 Lower limbs together
 Feet flat on the ground and facing forward

The standard anatomical position refers to the body orientation used to describe:

 Anatomical Planes or Sections

 Anatomical Directional Terms
 Provides a universal, consistent way of
 discussing anatomy
 Creates clear reference points when describing
anatomical position

BODY PLANES AND SECTIONS

The terms body planes and sections are often used interchangeably, but they actually have different
definitions.

BODY PLANES

 Body planes are imaginary lines drawn through an

upright body that is in anatomical position.
 The major planes or imaginary lines run vertically or horizontally.
 The planes divide the body into different sections or portions.
 For example, the planes might divide the body into right and
left sections, upper and lower sections, or front and back sections
depending on the

BODY SECTION

 Sections are the portions or slices of the body created by

the cut through the plane.
 So again that could be right and left sections, upper and lower sections, or front and back
sections depending on which plane the cut was made.
 Sections allow us to look at different views of the body depending on the direction of the cut.
 SECTION = SCT
S-Sagittal Plane (Vertical)
C-Coronal Plane (Vertical)
T-Transverse
Plane (Horizontal)

VERTICAL PLANES

 A vertical plane is an up-and-down plane that is a right angle to the

horizon.
 A sagittal plane is a vertical plane that divides the body into
unequal left and right portions

THE VERTICAL PLANES

 The midsagittal plane, also known as the midline or median, is the

sagittal plane that divides the body into equal left and right halves.
 The midsagittal plane, also known as the midline or median, is the
sagittal plane that divides the body into equal left and right halves.
 A frontal plane is a vertical plane that divides the body into anterior
(front) and posterior (back) portions. Also known as the coronal
plane, it is located at right angles to the sagittal.
 THE HORIZONTAL PLANES
 A horizontal plane is a flat crosswise plane, such as the horizon.
 A transverse plane or axial plane is a horizontal plane that divides
the body into superior (upper) and inferior (lower) portions. A
transverse plane can beat the waist or at any other level across the
body.
THE SPECIAL PLANES

 Oblique plane is a plane inclined from the horizon.

THE SPECIAL PLANES

 Oblique plane is a plane inclined

from the horizon.
 Interiliac plane transects the pelvis
at the top of the iliac crests at the
level of the fourth lumbar spinous
process.

THE SPECIAL PLANES

 Oblique plane is a plane inclined from the horizon.
 Interiliac plane transects the pelvis at the top of the iliac crests
at the level of the fourth lumbar spinous process.
 Occlusal plane is an imaginary plane formed by the occlusal
surfaces of the teeth when the jaw is close.

BODY DIRECTION TERMS

 Medial vs Lateral
 Superior vs Inferior
 Anterior vs Posterior
 Proximal vs Distal
 Superficial vs Deep
 Unilateral vs Bilateral
 Ipsilateral vs Contralateral

MEDIAL AND LATERAL

Midline = Imaginary vertical line down middle of body

Midline = Middle

Medial = Toward the midline or middle of the body

Medial = Midline or Middle

Lateral = Toward the side of the body

MEDIAL AND LATERAL

Nose is medial to the Eyes

Eyes are lateral to the Nose

Eyes is medial to the Ears

Ears are lateral to the Eyes

Torso is medial to the Arms

Arms are lateral to the Torso

Heart is medial to the Lungs

Lungs are lateral to the Heart

SUPERIOR AND INFERIOR

Superior = Above, toward the head

Superior = Skull

Inferior = Below, Away from the head

Inferior = Floor
Head is superior to the Torso

Torso is inferior to the Head

Eyes are superior to the Nose

Nose is superior to the Mouth

Mouth is inferior to the Nose

Nose is inferior to the Eyes

Liver is superior to theStomach

Stomach is inferior to the Liver

ANTERIOR AND POSTERIOR

Anterior = Front; Toward the front of the body

Posterior = Back; Toward the back of the body

PROXIMAL AND DISTAL

Proximal = Toward the trunk; near the origin

Distal = Away from the trunk; Far from the origin

Distal = Distant
 Wrist is proximal to the Hand

Elbow is proximal to the Wrist

Shoulder is Proximal to the Elbow

Elbow is distal to the Shoulder

Wrist is distal to the Elbow

Hand is distal to the Wrist

SUPERFICIAL AND DEEP

Superficial = Closer to the surface of the body

Superficial = Surface
Deep = Away from the surface of the body

Skin is superficial to the Ribs

Ribs are superficial to the Lungs

Lungs are deep to the Ribs

Ribs are deep to the Skin

UNILATERAL AND BILATERAL

Unilateral = involving one side of the body

Unilateral = “Uni” = One

Bilateral = Involving both sides of the body

Bilateral = “Bi” = Two

IPSILATERAL AND CONTRALATERAL

Ipsilateral = On the same side of the body

Ipsilateral = “Ipsi” = Same

Contralateral = On opposite sides of the body

Contralateral = “Contra’’ =Opposite

 The breastbone is (anterior or posterior) to the heart.

 The ankle is (proximal or distal) to the knee.
 The urinary bladder is (medial or lateral) to the hips
 The mouth (inferior or superior) to the chin.
 The armpit is (lateral or medial) to the chest.
 The forehead is (superior or inferior) to the eyes.
 The stomach is (superior or inferior) to the heart.

MAJOR BODY CAVITIES

  The two major body cavities, which are the dorsal (back) and the ventral (front) cavities, are
spaces within the body that contain and protect internal organs.

THE DORSAL CAVITY

 The dorsal cavity, which is located along the back of the body and head, contains organs of the
nervous system that coordinate body functions and is divided into two portions:
 The cranial cavity, which is located within the skull, surrounds and protects the brain. Cranial
means pertaining to the skull.
 The dorsal cavity, which is located along the back of the body and head, contains organs of the
nervous system that coordinate body functions and is divided into two portions:
 The spinal cavity, which is located within the spinal column, surrounds and protects the spinal
cord.

THE VENTRAL CAVITY

 The ventral cavity, which is located along the front of the

body, contains the body organs that sustain homeostasis.
Homeostasis is the processes through which the body
maintains a constant internal environment (home/o means
constant, and –stasis means control). The ventral cavity is
divided into the following portions:
 The thoracic cavity, also known as the chest cavity or
thorax,surrounds and protects the heart and the lungs. The
diaphragm is a muscle that separates the thoracic and
abdominal cavities.
 The abdominal cavity contains primarily the major organs of
digestion. This cavity is frequently referred to simply as
 The pelvic cavity is the space formed by the hip bones and
contains primarily the organs of the reproductive and
excretory systems.

There is no physical division between the abdominal and

pelvic cavities. The term abdominopelvic cavity refers to these two cavities as a single unit
(abdomin/o means abdomen, pelv means pelvis, and -ic means pertaining to).

The term inguinal, which means relating to the groin, refers to the entire lower area of the
abdomen. This includes the groin, which is the crease at the junction of the trunk with the upper
end of the thigh

SEROUS MEMBRANE

 Serous membranes line the trunk cavities

and cover the organs of these cavities.
Two layers: Visceral (organ) - covers the organ. Parietal (wall) - line the walls of the cavity

 The cavity between the visceral and parietal serous membranes is normally filled with a thin,
lubricating film of serous fluid produced by the membranes. As an organ rubs against another
organ or against the body wall, the serous fluid and the smooth serous membranes reduce
friction.

 The thoracic cavity contains two serous

membrane-lined cavities called pericardial
cavity and pleural cavity.

 The pericardial cavity surrounds the heart. The

visceral pericardium covers the heart, which is
contained within a connective tissue sac lined
with the parietal pericardium.

 The thoracic cavity contains two serous

membrane-lined cavities called pericardial
cavity and pleural cavity.
 The pericardial cavity, which contains pericardial fluid, is located between the visceral and the
parietal pericardium.

 The thoracic cavity contains two serous

membrane-lined cavities called pericardial
cavity and pleural cavity.
 A pleural cavity surrounds each lung, which is
covered by visceral pleura.
 Parietal pleura lines the inner surface of the
thoracic wall, the
 The thoracic cavity contains two serous
membrane-lined cavities called pericardial
cavity and pleural cavity.
 The pleural cavity is located between the
visceral pleura and the parietal pleura and
contains pleural fluid.

 The abdominopelvic cavity contains a serous membrane-lined cavity called the peritoneal cavity.
 Visceral peritoneum covers many of the organs of
the abdominopelvic cavity.
 Parietal peritoneum lines the wall of the
abdominopelvic cavity and the inferior surface of
the
  The abdominopelvic cavity contains a serous membrane-lined cavity called the peritoneal cavity.
 The peritoneal cavity is located between the visceral and the parietal peritoneum and contains
fluid.

REGIONS OF THE THORAX AND ABDOMEN

Regions of the thorax and abdomen are a
Descriptive system that divides the abdomen and lower
portion of the thorax into nine parts. These parts are:

REGIONS OF THE THORAX AND ABDOMEN

 The right and left hypochondriac regions are covered by the lower ribs (hypo- means below,
chondr/I means cartilage, and -ac means pertaining to). As used here, the term hypochondriac
means below the ribs.
 The epigastric region is located above the stomach (epi- means above, gastr means stomach, and
-ic means pertaining to).
 The right and left lumbar regions are located near the inward curve of the spine (lumb means
lower back, and -ar means pertaining to). The term lumbar describes the part of the back
between the ribs and the pelvis.
 The umbilical region surrounds the
umbilicus, which is commonly known as the
belly button or navel. This pit in the center
of the abdominal wall marks the point
where the umbilical cord was attached
before birth.
 The right and left iliac regions are located
over the hip bones (ili means hip bone, and
-ac means pertaining to).
 The hypogastric region is located below the
stomach (hypo- means below, gastr means
stomach, and -ic means pertaining to)

QUADRANTS OF THE ABDOMEN

Describing where an abdominal organ or pain is

located is made easier by dividing the abdomen
into four imaginary quadrants. The term quadrant
means divided into four. The quadrants of the
abdomen are:
BODY HABITUS

 The common variation in the shape of the human body are termed the body habitus.
 Mills determined the primary classifications of body habitus based on his study of 1000 patients.
 The specific type of body habitus is important in radiography because it determines the size,
shape, and position of the organs of the thoracic and abdominal cavities.

The four major types of body habitus and their approximate frequency in the population are identified
below.

 Sthenic (average person), 50%

 Hyposthenic (tiny/small/smaller than average),35%
 Asthenic (extremely tiny), 10%
 Hypersthenic (large frame/heavy set), 5%
Body habitus affects the location of the following: Heart, Lungs, Diaphragm, Stomach, Colon,
Gallbladder.