Body Directions
The term for body parts located near the head
What is cranial?
This plane divides the body into a top half and a bottom half.
What is the transverse plane?
These are spaces within the body that contain vital organs.
What are body cavities?
The dome-shaped muscle that separates the thoracic and abdominal cavities.
What is the diaphragm?
Structures located near the body surface are described using this term.
What is superficial?
Body parts distant from the point of reference, like the ankle relative to the knee.
What is distal?
If a sagittal plane runs down the midline of the body, it is called this type of plane.
What is the midsagittal (or median) plane?
This cavity is located in the chest and contains the lungs and heart.
What is the thoracic cavity?
This structure is located in the cranial cavity.
What is the brain?
Structures that are located away from the body surface are described this way.
What is deep?
This term refers to body parts located near the sacral region of the spinal column.
What is caudal?
The imaginary lines drawn through the body to separate it into sections.
What are body planes?
The dorsal cavity is divided into the cranial cavity and this one.
What is the spinal cavity?
The organs found in the upper abdominal cavity, including the stomach, liver, and spleen.
What are viscera (or abdominal organs)?
Proximal and distal are terms used specifically to describe the location of these body parts.
What are the extremities (arms and legs)?
This condition affects both sides of the body.
What is bilateral?
This plane divides the body into left and right sections.
What is the sagittal plane?
The lower abdominal cavity is also known by this name.
What is the pelvic cavity?
The three small cavities found in the head for the eyes, nose, and mouth.
What are the orbital, nasal, and buccal cavities?
This is the name given to the trunk of the body, which contains the main body organs.
What is the main trunk (of the body)?
The general directional term for being on the front of the body.
What is ventral (or anterior)?
This plane divides the body into a front section and a back section.
What is the frontal (or coronal) plane?
The term used to describe the ventral cavities compared to the dorsal cavities.
What is larger (or larger than the dorsal cavities)?
The name for the membranous layer that lines the abdominal cavity.
What is the peritoneum?
The method of dividing the abdominal cavity into four sections (quadrants) or this more precise number of regions.
What are nine (abdominal regions)?