MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY

BODY STRUCTURE

THE BASIS OF THE LANGUAGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF

MEDICINE

DR. FREDERICK, PHILEMON P.

THE WORD ELEMENTS
COMBINING FORM

The combining forms (CFs) is related to the basic structural

units of the body and those that describe a particular
location, or direction in the body.

In describing the location or direction of a given point in the body, it is

always assumed that the subject is in the anatomical position, that
is, upright, with face front, arms at the sides with palms forward, and
feet parallel.
COMBINING FORMS
DIRECTIONAL TERMS
In describing the location or direction of a
given point in the body, it is always
assumed that the subject is in the
anatomical position, that is, upright,
with face front, arms at the sides with
palms forward, and feet parallel
 ANATOMICAL PLANES
 A body plane is an imaginary fl at surface
that divides the body into two sections.
Different planes divide the body into
different sections, such as front and back,
left side and right side, and top and
bottom. These planes serve as points of
reference for describing the direction from
which the body is being observed. Planes
are particularly useful to describe views in
which radiographic images are taken.
ANATOMICAL PLANES
In describing the location or direction
of a given point in the body, it is
always assumed that the subject is in
the anatomical position, that is,
upright, with face front, arms at the
sides with palms forward, and feet
parallel
Anatomical
position
that is,
upright, with
face front,
arms at the
sides with
palms
forward, and
feet parallel
 The median (midsagittal) plane lies exactly in the middle
of the body and divides the body into two equal halves. When
the chest is divided into equal right and left sides, it is divided.
 When the lungs are divided into equal right and left sides, they
are divided by the midsagittal plane, also known as the
 The horizontal (transverse) plane runs across the body
from the right
side to the left side and divides the body into upper (superior)
and lower(inferior) portions.
 Recall the term super/ior. It is a point of reference that refers to
a structure above or oriented toward a higher place. For
example, the head is superior to the heart. Infer/ior is a point of
reference that refers to a structure situated below or oriented
toward a lower place.
DORSAL VIEW
INFERIOR VIEW: Under-surface
view
TRANSVERSE VIEW
 BODY CAVITIES
 The body contains two major cavities: the dorsal and ventral cavities.
These cavities are hollow spaces that contain internal organs. They are
further subdivided into two dors/al and two ventr/al cavities.
 Internal organs are located within dorsal and ventral cavitie.The
dorsal cavity contains the brain in the cranial cavity and the
spinal cord in the spinal cavity (canal). The uppermost ventral
space, the thoracic cavity, is separated from the abdominal
cavity by the diaphragm. There is no anatomical separation
between the abdominal cavity and the pelvic cavity, which
together make up the abdominopelvic cavity. The large
membrane that lines the abdominopelvic cavity and covers the
organs within it is the peritoneum (peri-to-NE-um).
BODY CAVITIES
Regions
 diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that plays an
important role in breathing. It separates the thorac/ic
cavity from the abdomin/o/pelv/ic cavity.
 The abdominopelvic region is further divided into
quadrants and regions.
 Because the abdomin/o/pelv/ic cavity is a large area and
contains many organs, it is useful to divide it into
smaller sections.
 One method divides the abdomin/o/pelv/ic cavity into
quadrants.
 A second method divides the abdomin/o/pelv/ic cavity
into regions. Physicians and health care professionals
use quadrants or regions as a point of reference.
 The larger division of the abdomin/o/pelv/ic cavity
Abdominopelvic quadrants and regions. (A) Four quadrants
of the abdomen. (B) Nine regions of the abdomen showing
superfi cial organs.
PELVIC CAVITY

Abdominopelvic quadrants and regions. (A) Four

quadrants of the abdomen. (B) Nine regions of the
abdomen showing superfi cial organs.
SIGNIFICANCE OF ABDOMINOPELVIC
QUADRANTS AND REGIONS
 Quadrants are useful in describing the location in the body in which a surgical
procedure will be performed. They also are useful in denoting incision sites or the
location of abnormal masses such as tumors. A tumor located in the right lower
quadrant will most likely be denoted in the medical record with the abbreviation
___RLQ________.
 Quadrants may also be used to describe the location of a patient’s symptoms. The
physician may pinpoint a patient’s abdominal pain in the RLQ. Such a fi nding could
indicate a diagnosis of appendicitis, because the appendix is located in that quadrant.
Pain in another quadrant, such as the LLQ, would indicate a different diagnosis.
Identify the abbreviation for the:

right lower quadrant: _____RLQ______

left lower quadrant: _____LLQ______

 Locate the quadrant that contains a major part of the stomach.
This quadrant is the __Left Upper Quadrant_____ and

its abbreviation is _____LUQ______.

 ABDOMINOPELVIC QUADRANTS AND
REGIONS
 Whereas larger sections of the abdomin/o/pelv/ic cavity are divided into four
quadrants, the smaller sections are divided into nine regions, each of which
corresponds to a region near a specific point in the body. As with quadrants, body
region designation is also used to describe the location of internal organs and the
origin of pain.
 The epi/gastr/ic region may be the location of “heartburn” pain. Pain in this area
could be symptomatic of many abnormal conditions, including indigestion or heart
attack. The area of heartburn pain may be felt in the__________ / __________ /
__________ region.
 The right and left hypo/chondr/iac regions are located on each side of the epi/gastr/ic
region and directly under the cartilage of the ribs. I
 dentify the elements in hypo/chondr/iac that mean
 pertaining to: __iac_________
 under, below, defi cient: ____hypo_______
 cartilage: _______chondr_____
 Combine lumb/o abdomin -al to form a term that
means pertaining to the loins and abdomen.
__________ / _____ / ____________________ / __________
 The center of the umbilic/al region marks the point where the
umbilic/al cord of the mother entered the fetus. This is the navel or, in
layman’s terms, the “belly button.” The region that lies between the right
and left lumbar regions is designated as the ____________________ /
____________________.
A hernia is a protrusion or projection of an organ through the
wall of the cavity that normally contains it. A common type of hernia that
may occur, particularly in males, is an inguin/al hernia. This hernia would
be located in the right or left ____________________ / __________ region.
 Locate the right inguin/al region and the left inguin/al region in
A hernia on the right side of the groin is called a __________
____________________ / __________ ____________________.
 The area between the right and the left inguin/al regions is
called the hypo/gastr/ic region. This region contains the large intestine
(colon), which is involved in the removal of solid waste from the body.
Abbreviations
Identify the name of the region below the stomach that literally means
pertaining to below the stomach.
hypo/gastr/ic __________ / __________ / __________
Abbreviations
ENDOSCOPY PROCEDURE
COLONOSCOPY
PROCTOSCOPY
ASSIGNMENT
ASCITIS VS CIRRHOSIS