SONOGRAPHIC SCANNING

PLANES

by OKSANA H. BALTAROWICH, M.D. Jefferson Ultrasound Research & Education Institute

We gratefully acknowledge support of this project by the Open Society Institute-New York

BASIC PRINCIPLES

We learn anatomy in standard and cross-sectional planes.

We scan the body in sections and reproduce a mental 3-D picture of the internal organs.

Every organ or area of interest must be scanned in at least two perpendicular planes in order to obtain a 3-D picture.

ANATOMICAL REFERENCE PLANES

Anatomical position

Erect

Facing forward

Main reference plane

Median sagittal plane

ANATOMICAL REFERENCE PLANES

MEDIAN SAGITTAL PLANE

• Longitudinal, vertical plane

• Divides the body into right and left halves

• All sagittal planes are parallel to the median sagittal plane

ANATOMICAL REFERENCE PLANES

CORONAL PLANES

• Longitudinal, vertical planes

• Divide the body into anterior and posterior, front and back parts

ANATOMICAL REFERENCE PLANES

TRANSVERSE PLANES

• Horizontal, transaxial planes

• Divide the body into superior and inferior, cranial (cephalic) and caudal (tail) parts

ANATOMICAL REFERENCE PLANES

OBLIQUE PLANES

• Inclined from the standard planes

• In any direction

• Difficult to describe

ANATOMICAL POSITIONS

SUPINE

ANATOMICAL POSITIONS

SUPINE

ANATOMICAL REFERENCE PLANES

SUPINE SAGITTAL

Whether erect or supine, anatomical reference planes are the

same

H F

A

B

H F

H F

A

B

ANATOMICAL POSITIONS

PRONE

A

B

FH

A

B

FH

ANATOMICAL REFERENCE PLANES

Whether erect or supine, anatomical reference planes are the same

SUPINE TRANSVERSE

ANATOMICAL REFERENCE PLANES

SUPINE TRANSVERSE

R L

A

B

R L

A

B

ANATOMICAL POSITIONS

PRONE TRANSVERSE

L R

B

A

ANATOMICAL REFERENCE PLANES

Whether erect or supine, anatomical reference planes are the same

SUPINE CORONAL

R L

H

F

ANATOMICAL POSITIONS

RIGHT LATERAL DECUBITUS

HH FF

LL

RR

ANATOMICAL POSITIONS

LEFT LATERAL DECUBITUS

HH FF

LL

RR

CROSS-SECTIONAL ANATOMY

Series of Sections

Transverse SagittalCoronal