Anatomical Position and Body Cavities

Levels of Organization

•Cellular: cells are the basic functional units of the body•Tissue: groups of cells that work together to

perform a specialized function•Organ: two or more different types of tissue with

specific functions and recognizable shapes•System: related organs with common functions•Organism: a collection of body systems that makes

up a living being

Anatomic Position

•Anatomic Position: Body is erect and facing forward with the arms at the sides and palms toward the front and toes pointing forward

Directional Terms

•Anterior, ventral: toward the front of the body•Posterior, dorsal: toward the

back of the body•Superior, cranial, cephalic:

toward the head, above or higher• Inferior, caudal: toward the tail,

below or lower

Directional Terms

•Medial: pertaining to the middle, toward the midline• Lateral: pertaining to or toward the side•Exterior: outside• Interior: inside•Adduction: movement toward the midline of the

body•Abduction: movements away from the midline of

the body

Directional Terms

•Superficial: toward or on the surface•Deep: away from the surface•Proximal: near the point of attachment •Distal: further from the point of attachment•Parietal: pertaining to the outer wall of a cavity•Visceral: pertaining to the organs within a cavity

Body Planes

•Sagittal or Medial plane: divides the body in to equal left and right halves•Frontal or Coronal Plane: divides the body into

anterior and posterior planes•Transverse or Horizontal plane: divides body into

superior and inferior halves

Body Cavities

Abdominopelvic Quadrants•Right Upper Quadrant: (RUQ) contains the right

lobe of the liver, the gallbladder, part of the pancreas and part of the intestines•Right Lower Quadrant: (RLQ) contains part of the

intestines, the appendix, the right ovary, right fallopian tube and right ureter

Abdominopelvic Quadrants

• Left Upper Quadrant: (LUQ) contains the left lobe of the liver, the stomach, the spleen, part of the pancreas and part of the intestines• Left Lower Quadrant: (LLQ) contains part of the

intestines, the left ovary, left fallopian tube and left ureter

Body Positions

•Supine: laying flat on the back with arms at the sides•Prone: laying flat on the abdomen with the head

turned slightly to one side

Body Positions

•Fowler: sitting at a 45-60 degree angle, semi-sitting•Sims: lying on the left side, left arm is behind the

body, right arm is forward and flexed at the elbow

Body Positions•Dorsal Recumbent: supine position,

legs are bent at the knees and feet are on the table• Lithotomy: supine position, legs are

bent at the knees, feet are placed in stirrups•Knee-chest: kneeling position with

buttocks elevated, head and chest are on the table

Combining Forms: Body RegionsAbdomin/o: abdomenCaud/o: tailCervic/o: neck or cervix (neck of the uterus)ili/o: ilium (hip bone)Inguin/o: groinLumb/o: loins (lower back)Pelv/i or pelv/o: pelvisCost/o: ribsSpin/o: spineThorac/o: chestUmbilic/o: navel, umbilicus

Combining Forms: Directional TermsAnter/o: anterior, frontDist/o: far, furthestDors/o: back of the bodyinfer/o: lower, belowLater/o: side or to one sideMedi/o: middlePoster/o: back of the body, behindProxim/o: near, nearestSuper/o: upper, aboveVentr/o: belly sides

Diseases and Conditions

•Adhesion: band of scar tissue binding surfaces that are normally separate• Inflammation: protective response of the body

tissues due to irritation, infection or allergy•Sepsis: the body’s inflammatory response to

infection accompanied by fever, elevated heart and respiratory rates, and low blood pressure

Diagnostic Procedures

•Scan: using a sweeping beam of radiation to produce images of internal organs or tissues•Endoscopy: visual examination of the organs with

an endoscope•Fluoroscopy: radiographic imaging using

fluorescent screens instead of photographic plate •Results in the imaging of the motion of internal

structures

Diagnostic Procedures

•Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): radiographic imaging that uses electromagnetic energy to produce a cross-sectional image of the body•Nuclear Scan: produces an image of an organ by

recording the concentration of a “tracer” that is introduced to the body by ingestion, inhalation or injection•Radiography: production of an x-ray on

photographic film

Diagnostic Procedures

•Radiopharmaceutical: (Tracer) radiopaque substances that travel to a specific organ or area•Computed Tomography (CT scan): narrow beam of

x-rays that produces a cross-sectional image of an organ or area•Positron emission tomography (PET scan): imaging

that combines CT with tracers to produce a cross-sectional image that shows where the tracer element is being metabolized

Diagnostic Procedures

•Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT scan): imaging that scans an organ after injection of a tracer and produces a 3-D image•Used to show blood flow to the organ to diagnose

organ function•Ultrasonography (US): imaging that uses high-

frequency sound waves that bounce off tissues and record an image of a body structure

Abbreviations • Ant: anterior• AP: Anteroposterior• Bx, bx: biopsy• CXR: Chest X-ray• LAT, lat: lateral• LLQ: left lower quadrant• LUQ: left upper quadrant• PA: Posteoanterior• RLQ: right lower quadrant• RUQ: right upper quadrant• CT: computed tomography• MRI: magnetic resonance imaging• PET: positron emission tomography• US: ultrasound, ultrasonography• SPECT: single-photon emission computed tomography