planes, sections, directional terms Flashcards
anatomical position
standing upright, legs together, feet pointing forward, arms down at sides, palms facing forward, fingers extended, eyes looking straight ahead
sagittal plane
a vertical plane that runs from front to back, slicing the body into left and right portions; a cut along the sagittal plane produces a sagittal section; a line down the center of the body dividing it into equal left and right halves is called the midsagittal line
frontal (coronal) plane
a vertical plane that runs from side to side/left to right, slicing the body into anterior and posterior portions; a cut along the frontal plane produces a frontal or coronal section
transverse plane
a horizontal plane, slicing the body into upper and lower portions; a cut along the transverse plane produces a transverse section
section
an x-ray taken along one of the three planes
longitudinal section
often used to describe internal views of the body, a lengthwise slice along the long axis of a structure produces a longitudinal section
cross-section
often used to describe internal views of the body, a slice perpendicular to the long axis of a structure produces a cross-section
deep
further below from the surface
prone
to lie face down
superficial
nearer to the surface
supine
to lie face up
anter/o + ior
pertaining to front (side of body)
caud/o + al
pertaining to the tail
cephal/o + ic
pertaining to the head
dist/o + al
pertaining to away from (beginning of structure)
