Body Planes and Cavities

Principles of Health Science

Standard Anatomical Position

Body Planes• Imaginary lines drawn through body to separate

the body into section. • Directional terms create planes• Three main body planes: Transverse, Midsagittal

(median), frontal (coronal) plane

Transverse Plane• Horizontal plane• Divides the body into a top half and bottom half

o Directional terms associated with transverse:• Superior – body parts above• Inferior – body parts below

Midsagittal (median) Plane

• Divides the body into a right and left sideo Directional terms associated with midsagittal:

• Medial – body parts close to midline• Lateral – body parts away from the midline

Frontal or Coronal Plane

• Divides the body into front section and back sectiono Directional terms associated with frontal:

• Ventral or Anterior – body parts in front of plane or in front of the body

• Dorsal or Posterior – body parts in back of plane or in back of body

Directional Terms

Directional Terms • Extremities in relation to trunk (point of

reference)o Proximal – body part closest to point of referenceo Distal – body part farther or most distant from the point of reference

• Example: Relationship between wrist, elbow and shoulder, with shoulder being the point of reference.o Wrist is distal to elbowo Elbow is proximal to shoulder

Body Cavities• Spaces within body that contain vital organs• Two main body cavities: Dorsal Cavity and Ventral

Cavity

Dorsal Cavity• One long, continuous cavity located on back of

body• Divided into two sections:

o Cranial Cavity – contains the braino Spinal Cavity – contains the spinal cord

Ventral Cavity• Larger than dorsal cavity,

separated into two cavities by the diaphragm.o Thoracic Cavity: located in the

chest and contains heart, lungs and large blood vessels

o Abdominal Cavity: divided into upper and lower part• Upper Abdominal Cavity –

contains stomach, small intestine, most of large intestine, liver, gallbladder, pancreas and spleen

Ventral Cavity, cont.- Lower Abdominal Cavity or pelvic cavity – contains urinary

bladder, reproductive organs, and last part of the intestines

Additional Cavities• Three small cavities

o Orbital cavity: contains eyeso Nasal cavity: contains nose structureso Buccal cavity: contains mouth