Language of Anatomy

LANGUAGE OF ANATOMYAnatomical Terms, Directional Terms, Regional Terms, Body Planes, and Body Cavities

Anatomical Position Always assume body is in anatomical

position to accurately describe body parts and position

Body is erect Feet parallel, shoulder width apart Palms to the side facing forward

Directional Terms Explains where one body structure is in

relation to another

Superior (Cranial, Cephalad) & Inferior (Caudal)

Toward the head or upper part of a structure of the body, above

Ex: The forehead is superior to the nose

Superior Inferior

Away from head end or toward lower part of body, below

Ex: The navel is inferior to the breastbone

Anterior (Ventral) &Posterior (Dorsal)

Toward the front of the body

Ex: The breastbone is anterior to the spine

In four legged animals, ventral refers to the belly of an animal

Anterior Posterior

Toward the backside, behind

Ex: The heart is posterior to the breastbone

Medial &Lateral

Toward or at midline of body, inner side

Ex: Heart is medial to arm

Away from midline of body, outer side

Ex: Arms are lateral to the chest

Medial Lateral

Intermediate Between a more medial and a more

lateral structure

Ex: Armpit is intermediate between the breastbone and shoulder

Proximal &Distal

Close to the origin of body part or point of attachment of a limb to the body of the trunk

Ex: Elbow is proximal to wrist

Farther from origin of body part or point of attachment of limb to body trunk

Ex: Knee is distal to thigh

Proximal Distal

Superficial &Deep

Toward body surface

Ex: Skin is superficial to skeleton

Away from body surface, more internal

Ex: Lungs are deep to the ribcage

Superficial Deep

Practice The wrist is blank to the hand PROXIMAL The breastbone is blank to the spineAnterior (Ventral) The brain is blank to the spinal cordSuperior The lungs are blank to the heartLateral The fingers are blank to the thumbDistal

Anterior Body Landmarks

Abdominal- anterior body trunk inferior to ribs

Acromial-point of shoulder Antecubital-anterior surface

of elbow Axillary-armpit Brachial-arm Buccal-cheek Carpal-wrist Cervical-neck Coxal-hip Crural-leg Digital-fingers, toes Femoral-thigh

Fibular-lateral part of leg Inguinal-groin Nasal-nose Oral-mouth Orbital-eye Patellar- anterior knee Pelvic-anterior pelvis Pubic-genital region Sternal-breastbone Tarsal-ankle Thoracic-chest Umbilical-naval

Posterior Body Landmarks Cephalic-head Deltoid- curve of

shoulder Gluteal-buttock Lumbar-area of

back between ribs and hips

Occipital-posterior side of head

Popliteal-posterior knee area

Sacral-area between hips

Scapular-shoulder blade region

Sural-calf Vertebral-area of

spine

Body Landmarks

Anterior Posterior

Body Planes and Sections Section-cut

Sagittal section- cut made lengthwise, dividing body into right and left parts. If its exactly in the middle it’s called a midsaggital

section Frontal/ coronal section- cut made that divides

body into anterior and posterior Transverse/cross section-cut made along horizontal

plane, divides body into superior and inferior parts Plane-imaginary line that a section is made

through

Body Sections and Planes

Body Cavities

Cranial Cavity

Spinal Cavity

Thoracic cavity- seperated from the rest by diaphragm

Abdominopelvic- can be further divided into abdominal cavity and pelvic cavity Abdomial cavity can be divided into

nine more regions: 1. Umbilical region- center rmost 2. epigastric region- superior to umbilical

region 3. Hypogastric region- inferior to

umbilical region 4. Right and Left Iliac/inguinal regions-

lateral to hypogastric region 5. Right and left lumbar regions- lateral

to umbillical region 6. Right and left hypochondriac region-

lateral to epigastric region

Dorsal Ventral

Body Cavities