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Anatomy & Physiology: Anatomical Terms, Cavities, and Regions

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  • Superior

    Toward the head or above (cranial direction).

  • Inferior

    Away from the head or below (caudal direction).

  • Cephalic

    Head region of the body.

  • Cervical

    Neck region of the body.

  • Caudal

    Lower or under part of the body.

  • Thoracic

    Trunk region of the body containing the chest.

  • Lumbar

    Lower back region (loins).

  • Axillary

    Armpit region.

  • Brachial

    Arm region.

  • Antebrachial

    Forearm region.

  • Inguinal

    Groin region.

  • Coxal

    Side of the hip region.

  • Crural

    Front of the leg.

  • Anterior

    Front of or in the front (ventral).

  • Ventral

    Literally means belly side.

  • Dorsal

    Literally means rear end or back side.

  • Posterior

    Back of or behind (dorsal).

  • Proximal

    Nearest point of attachment to a limb or structure, usually referring to limbs near the trunk.

  • Distal

    Farthest from the point of attachment or origin, usually referring to limbs away from the trunk.

  • Frontal plane

    Vertical plane dividing the body into front (anterior) and back (posterior) portions.

  • Sagittal plane

    Vertical plane dividing the body into right and left sections.

  • Transverse plane

    Horizontal plane dividing the body into top (superior) and bottom (inferior) portions.

  • Anatomical position

    Body standing, face forward, arms at sides, palms forward, fingers extended, thumbs away, feet separated, toes pointing forward.

  • Thoracic cavity organs

    Lungs (pleural cavities), heart (pericardial cavity), and mediastinum separates these cavities.

  • Abdominal cavity organs

    Stomach, liver, spleen, kidneys, small intestines, and most of the large intestines.

  • Pelvic cavity organs

    Bladder and internal reproductive organs.

  • Four abdominal quadrants

    Right Upper, Left Upper, Right Lower, and Left Lower Quadrants.

  • Nine abdominal regions

    Right Hypochondriac, Epigastric, Left Hypochondriac, Right Lumbar, Umbilical, Left Lumbar, Right Iliac, Hypogastric, Left Iliac.

  • Importance of abdominal quadrants and regions

    Used to locate organs and identify the source of abdominal pain.