The language of anatomy/ medicine

(Anatomical terminology)

Dr. Najam Siddiqi, MBBS, Ph.D., jamsid69@gmail.com 5th Feb. 2011

Objectives
By the end of the lecture, student should be able to: Define the main anatomical terms. Identify body cavities and planes. Describe the boundaries, contents of each body cavity. Identify abdominal regions and quadrants. Appreciate the importance of studying anatomy to clinical practice.

Human Anatomical Position

The person standing erect with feet together and his arms by his side; palms facing anteriorly, and thumb pointing away from the body. Most of the anatomical terminology is based on anatomical position

Directional & Regional Terms

Term Axial Meaning Axis of the body; head, neck and trunk. Appendicular Upper and lower limbs. Proximal Close to the trunk with reference to a point away from the trunk

Distal

away from the trunk with reference to a point close to the trunk

Directional & Regional Terms

Term Meaning

Superior or cranial toward the head-end of the body Inferior or caudal away from the head

Anterior or ventral Posterior or dorsal Medial Lateral

Front of the body

Back of the body Close to the midline of the body away from the midline of the body

Directional & Regional Terms

TERMS OF REFERENCE
Directional Regional Positions of the body Concerning movements

Body Planes & Sections

Plane Meaning Coronal Plane A vertical plane running from (Frontal Plane) right to left or vise versa; divides the body into anterior and posterior Sagittal Plane (midsagittal plane) Axial Plane (Transverse Plane) A vertical plane running from anterior to posterior; divides the body into right and left (parasagittal plane) A horizontal plane; divides the body into upper and lower parts.

Anatomical Terminology Body Planes & Sections

Body Planes & Sections

Anatomical Terminology Body Planes & Sections

The Human (vertebrate) Body Plan

1. Tube-within-a-tube 2. Bilateral symmetry 3. Dorsal hollow nerve cord 4. Notochord and vertebrae 5. Segmentation 6. Pharyngeal pouches

REGIONS OF THE BODY - I

TRUNK (Axial) : Head & Neck Thorax Abdomen Pelvis Perineum APPENDICULAR LIMBS: Upper limb Lower limb

REGIONS OF THE BODY - II

REGIONS OF THE BODY - III

Frontal Orbital Nasal Oral Mental Sternal Axillary Mammary Umbilical Inguinal Pubic

REGIONS OF THE BODY - IV

Occipital Cervical Scapular Vertebral Lumbar Sacral Gluteal Perineal

REGIONS OF THE BODY - V

Acromial Brachial Antebrachial Carpal Palmar Digital Metacarpal

REGIONS OF THE BODY - V

Coxal Femoral Patellar Popliteal Crural Sural Fibular (Peroneal) Tarsal Calcaneal Plantar Hallux

TERMS - Directional
Anterior (Ventral) / Posterior (Dorsal) Superior/ Inferior Medial/ Lateral Superficial/ Deep Proximal/ Distal Ipsilateral/ Contra lateral Bilateral Cephalic/ Caudad (Caudal)

Anterior / Posterior
Identify trachea, esophagus

Superior / Inferior

Liver Stomach

POSITIONS OF THE BODY

Supine - Face up Prone Face down Recumbent (eg. Left lateral recumbent) Trendlenberg position Fowlers position

POSITIONS OF THE HUMAN BODY

Body Cavities
Dorsal Body Cavity Cranial Cavity Vertebral Cavity Ventral Body Cavity Thoracic Cavity Abdominal Cavity Pelvic Cavity

Dorsal Body Cavities

1. Cranial Cavity
The cranial cavity is the space formed inside the skull. Occupied by the brain, meninges (linings of the brain), cerebrospinal fluid.

2. Vertebral cavity: formed by the vertebral canal and houses the spinal cord

Ventral Body Cavities

1. Thoracic Cavity Bounded laterally by the ribs. Inferiorly by the diaphragm. Divided into 2 parts: 2 lateral parts: contains the lungs & pleura Central part (Mediastinum): contains the heart, trachea, esophagus, large blood vessels, nerves.

2. Abdominopelvic Body Cavities

i) Abdominal Cavity bounded superiorly by the diaphragm. laterally by the body wall. Inferiorly by the pelvic cavity . contains most of the gastrointestinal tract, the kidneys, adrenal glands.

Abdominopelvic Body Cavities

ii) Pelvic Cavity bounded superiorly by the abdominal cavity. dorsally by the sacrum. laterally by the pelvis. contains most of the urogenital system, the rectum.

Other Cavities

Oral cavity Nasal Cavity Orbital cavity Middle ear cavities Synovial cavities

SEROUS BODY CAVITIES

These are serous cavities slit-like in appearance and lined by serous membrane. The tiny amount of fluid secreted into these cavities help in lubricating and makes the movements of the organs friction-less.

Serous Cavities
Found around the---Heart: pericardial cavity. Lungs: Pleural cavity. Abdominal organs: peritoneal cavity. Serous membranes enclose these body cavities. The serous membranes secrete a lubricating fluid which reduces friction from muscle movement.

Serous Cavities

Abdominal Quadrants
Since the abdominal area contains many different organs it is divided in smaller areas (quadrants). This is essential to help "locate" injury or pain in the abdomen. The quadrants are defined by the intersection of the sagittal midline and a horizontal line drawn through the umbilicus.

Abdominal Regions
Three horizontal and two vertical lines divide the abdomen into nine regions. Note that; "hypo" means "below "epi" means "above "chond" means "cartilage" (in this case, the cartilage of the rib) "gast" means stomach. The reversal of "left" and "right" is intentional, because the anatomical designations reflect the position on the patient.

ABDOMINAL REGIONS
Epigastric Umbilical Hypogastric
Right and left Hypochondriac Lumbar Iliac

SIGNIFICANCE OF ABDOMINAL REGIONS

Why the quadrants and regions?

ANATOMICAL VARIABILITY
Variations are rule of nature Position, size, number and structure could vary from descriptions that are given in the text book/ literature. This fact has to be remembered while examining the patients and treating them