St.

Joseph Mercy Hospital - School of Nursing

Assignment #1

Title: Abdominal Regions

Course Name: Anatomy & Physiology

Lecturer: Nr. Elsie Asabere

Name of Student: Gabreella T. Sutton

Due Date: January 16th, 2024

Introduction to the Abdominal Nine Divisions

In anatomical terms, the abdomen is often divided into nine regions by two horizontal and

two vertical lines intersecting at the umbilicus (navel). These nine divisions are marked by

two parasagittal and two transverse planes centered around the navel. The quadrants are

labelled by location: the right upper, right lower, left upper, and left lower quadrants. The

nine regions are smaller than the four abdominopelvic quadrants and include the right

hypochondriac, right lumbar, right iliac, epigastric, umbilical, hypogastric (or pubic), left

hypochondriac, left lumbar, and left iliac divisions. These regions are used to describe the

location of various organs within the abdomen.

● Hypochondriac Regions (Left and Right): the prefix “hypo” means below or under.

The word “chondriac” means cartilage, which is referring to the cartilage of the ribs.

Together, this is the abdominal region that is under the ribs.

● Lumbar Regions (Left and Right): The word lumbar refers to the vertebrae in your

lower back, which are the bones nearest to the lumbar region.

● Iliac Region (Left and Right): The top of the hip bone has what is called the iliac

crest, and that’s the bone closest to the iliac region.

● Epigastric Region: The prefix “epi” means above, or over, and “gastric” means

stomach or belly. Therefore, this is the region over and above the belly.

● Umbilical Region: The umbilical region contains the navel, which is also called the

umbilicus. The navel is the landmark for the four quadrant point of intersection,

therefore, the umbilical region makes up the middle of the nine abdominal regions.

● Hypogastric Region: Hypo means “below,” and gastric refers to the stomach or

belly. When put together, the hypogastric region is the region below the belly.
A list of organs typically found within each of the nine regions:

❖ Right Hypochondriac Region (Upper Right Quadrant):

Liver (Right portion)

Gallbladder

Right kidney

Small intestine & Large Intestines (Parts)

❖ Epigastric Region (Upper Middle Quadrant):

Stomach

Liver (portion)

Pancreas (portion)

Duodenum (portion)

Spleen (Part)

Adrenal glands

❖ Left Hypochondriac Region (Upper Left Quadrant):

Liver’s tip

Stomach

Pancreas

Left kidney

Spleen

Large/Small intestine
 ❖ Right Lumbar Region (Middle Right Quadrant):

Ascending colon

Small Intestine

The Right kidney

❖ Umbilical Region (Middle Quadrant):

Transverse Colon (the section between the ascending and descending colons)

Duodenum

Small Intestine

❖ Left Lumbar Region (Middle Left Quadrant):

Descending colon

Left kidney (Parts)

Small Intestine

❖ Right Iliac (Inguinal) Region (Lower Right Quadrant):

Cecum

Appendix

Ascending Colon

Small Intestine

❖ Hypogastric (Suprapubic) Region (Lower Middle Quadrant):

Urinary bladder

Sigmoid Colon (Part)

Small Intestine
Uterus and Ovaries (in females)

Prostate (in males)

❖ Left Iliac (Inguinal) Region (Lower Left Quadrant):

Descending Colon

Sigmoid colon

Small Intestine