Anatomical Position & Directional Terms

Question 1

Superior(cranial)

Answer 1

toward the head end or upper part of a structure or the body; above

ex: the head is superior to the abdomen

Question 2

Inferior(caudal)

Answer 2

away from the head end or tpward the lower part of a structure or the body; below

ex: the navel is inferior to the chin

Question 3

Anterior(ventral)

Answer 3

Toward ot at the front of the body; in front of

ex: the breastbone is anterior to the spine

Question 4

Posterior(dorsal)

Answer 4

Toward or at the back of the body; behind

ex: the heart is posterior to the breastbone

Question 5

Proximal

Answer 5

Closer to the origin of the body part or the point of attachment of a limb to the body trunk

ex: the elbow is proximal to the wrist

Question 6

Distal

Answer 6

Farther from the origin of a body part or the point of the attachment of a limb to the body trunk

ex: the knee is distal to the thigh

Question 7

Superficial(external)

Answer 7

Toward or at the body surface

ex: the skin is superficial to the skeletal muscles

Question 8

Deep(internal)

Answer 8

away from the body surface; more internal

ex: the lungs are deep to the skin

Question 9

Two major divisions of the body

Axial

Regional terms(designate specific areas within body divisions)

Answer 9

head, neck, and trunk

Question 10

Two major divisions of the body

Appendicular

Regional Terms(designate specific areas within body divisions)

Answer 10

limbs(legs and arms)

Question 11

What are body planes?

Answer 11

surfaces along which body or strcutures may be cut for anatomical study

Question 12

What are the 3 most common planes?

Answer 12

Sagittal plane, Frontal(coronal) plane, and Transverse (horizontal) plane

Question 13

What are sections?

Answer 13

Cuts or sections made along a body plane.

A section is named for the plane along which it is cut. Thus, a cut along a sagittal plane produces a sagittal section.

Question 14

What is a sagittal plane?

Answer 14

A sagittal plane divides the body vertically into right and left parts

Question 15

What is it called when a sagittal plane lies exactly in the midline?

Answer 15

midsagittal(median) plane

Question 16

What is it called when a sagittal plane was cut off-centered/not on the midline?

Answer 16

Parasagittal plane

Question 17

What are frontal (coronal) planes?

Answer 17

• lie vertically,
• divide the body into anterior and posterior parts
  *

Question 18

What are transverse(cross section) planes?

Answer 18

• runs horizontally from left to right’
• divides the body into superior and inferior parts

Question 19

What are oblique sections?

seldom used***

Answer 19

Cuts made diagonally between the horizontal and the vertical planes

Question 20

Medial

Answer 20

toward the body or at the midline of the body; on the inner side of

ex: the heart is medial to the arm

Question 21

Lateral

Answer 21

Away from the midline of the body; on the outer side of

ex: the arms are lateral to the chest

Question 22

Intermediate

Answer 22

Between a more medial and a more lateralm structure

ex: the collarbone is intermediate between the breastbone and shoulder

Question 23

What is the trunk of the body?

Answer 23

the central, main part of the body that houses all of the internal organs

Question 24

What does the dorsal body cavity protect? How many subdivisions does it have?

Answer 24

The dorsal body cavity protects the fragile nervous system organs; it contains 2 subdivisions(cranial & vertebral)

Question 25

cranial cavity

Answer 25

located in the skull, it encases the brain

Question 25

veterbral(spinal) cavity

Answer 25

runs within the bony vertebral column; encloses the delicate spinal cord

Question 26

What is the ventral body cavity?

Answer 26

• The more anterior and larger of the closed body cavities, has two major sudivisions(thoracic & abdominopelvic)
• it also houses the viscera(internal organs)

Question 27

Superior subdivision

Thoracic cavity

Answer 27

• surrounded by the ribs and muscles of the chest
• subdivided into lateral pleural cavities & mediastinum
• separated from the more inferior abdominopelvic cavity by the diaphragm

Question 28

Pleural cavities

Answer 28

each envelop a lung

Question 29

mediastinum

Answer 29

• contains the pericardial cavity, which encloses the heart & also surrounds the remaining thoracic organs(esophagus, trachea, etc.)

Question 30

diaphragm

Answer 30

dome-shaped muscle important in breathing

Question 31

abdominopelvic cavity( two regions)

Answer 31

• abdominal cavity(superior) contains the stomach, intestine, spleen, liver, etc.
• pelvic cavity(inferior) lies in the bony pelvis and contains the urinary bladder, some reproductive organs, and the rectum

Question 32

what ate the walls of the ventral body cavity& outer surfaces of the organs covered by?

Answer 32

the serosa/serous membrane, a thin double-layered membrane

Question 33

What part of the serous membrane lines the cavity walls of the ventral body?

Answer 33

the parietal serosa

Question 34

visceral serosa

Answer 34

the part of the double-layered membrane that lines the outer surfaces of organs withing the ventral body cavity

Question 35

serous fluid

Answer 35

clear, watery fluid secreted by cells of a serous membrane

Question 36

What are the 4 abdomniopelvic quadrants?

Answer 36

• Right Upper Quadrant(RUQ)
• Left Upper Quadrant(LUQ)
• Right Lower Qudrant(RLQ)
• Left Lower Quadrant(LLQ)

Question 37

umbilical region

Answer 37

the centermost region deep to and surrounding the umbilicus (navel).

Question 38

epigastric region

Answer 38

located superior to the umbilical region (epi = upon, above; gastri = belly)

Question 39

pubic (hypogastric) region

Answer 39

located inferior to the umbilical region (hypo = below)

Question 40

right and left inguinal (iliac) regions

Answer 40

located lateral to the hypogastric region (iliac = superior part of the hip bone)

Question 41

right and left lateral (lumbar) regions

Answer 41

lie lateral to the umbilical region (lumbus = loin).

Question 42

right and left hypochondriac regions

Answer 42

lie lateral to the epigastric region and deep to the ribs (chondro = cartilage).