Week-2 Anatomical position, Body Planes and Directional Terms

Anatomical position

The anatomical position is of importance in anatomy because it is the position of

reference for anatomical nomenclature. Anatomical position is the description of any
region or part of the body in a specific stance.

In the standard anatomical position, the body is upright, directly facing the
observer, feet flat and directed forward. The upper limbs are at the bodys sides
with the palms facing forward.

Body planes

Body planes are used to describe specific sections or regions of the body. The
sections are planes produced in the body to reveal its internal anatomy. There are
three main sections:
C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina
1
Imagine a person standing in an upright position. Now imagine dissecting this
person with imaginary vertical and horizontal planes. This is the best way to
describe anatomical planes. Anatomical planes can be used to describe any body
part or an entire body.

Lateral Plane or Sagittal Plane: Imagine a vertical plane that runs through your
body from front to back or back to front. This plane divides the body into right and
left regions.

Median or Midsagittal Plane: Sagittal plane that divides the body into equal
right and left regions.

Parasagittal Plane: Sagittal plane that divides the body into unequal right
and left regions.

Frontal Plane or Coronal Plane: Imagine a vertical plane that runs through the
center of your body from side to side. This plane divides the body into front
(anterior) and back (posterior) regions.

Transverse Plane: Imagine a horizontal plane that runs through the midsection of
your body. This plane divides the body into upper (superior) and lowers (inferior)
regions.

Anatomical Terms: Resources

Understanding anatomical directional terms and body planes will make it easier to
study anatomy. It will help you to be able to visualize positional and special
locations of structures and navigate directionally from one area to another.

Another strategy that can be employed to help you visualize anatomical structures
and their positions is to use study aids such as anatomy coloring books and flash
cards. It may seem a bit juvenile, but coloring books and review cards actually help
you to visually comprehend the information.

If the anatomical position is placed face-down, it is in the prone position.

If the anatomical position is placed face-up, it is in the supine position.

Up, Down, Side-to-Side: Directional Terms

Imagine that when youre studying a (correctly anatomically positioned) body youre
looking at a map.
Like you use the cardinal directions to explain the location of certain regions (north,
northwest, southeast, etc.), you use directional terms to describe the regions of the
body.
C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina
2
Anatomical Directional Terms

Anatomical directional terms can also be applied to the planes of the body. Below
are examples of some commonly used anatomical directional terms and planes of
the body. Here are some commonly used directional terms:

At or near the front of the body (front view). In front of, front
Anterior or ventral
The toes are anterior to the foot.

Posterior or dorsalAt or near the back of the body (back view). After, behind,
following, toward
the rear

Midline An imaginary vertical line that divides the body equally (right
down the
middle)

Lateral Farther from midline (side view). Toward the side, away from
the mid-line

Ipsilateral On the same side of the body

Unilateral Involving one side of the body

Medial Nearer to midline (side view)

Bilateral Involving both sides of the body

Contralateral On opposite sides of the body

Superior or Toward the head/upper part of a structure (birds-eye view,

craneal looking down).
Above, over

Inferior or caudal Away from the head/lower part of a structure (bottom view,
looking up).
Below, under

Superficial or Close to the surface of the body

external

Deep or internal Away from the surface of the body

Proximal Nearer to the origination of a structure. Near, closer to the

origin

Distal Farther from the origination of a structure. Away from, farther

from the
origin

Intermediate Between two structures

C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina
3
Anatomical Terms: Examples

Some anatomical structures contain anatomical terms in their names that help
identify their position in relation to other body structures or divisions within the
same structure. Some examples include the anterior and posterior pituitary,
superior and inferior venae cavae, the median cerebral artery, and the axial
skeleton.

Affixes (word parts that are attached to base words) are also useful in describing the
position of anatomical structures. These prefixes and suffixes give us hints about
the locations of body structures. For example, the prefix (para-) means near or
within. The parathyroid glands are located on the posterior side of the thyroid.
The prefix (epi-) means upper or outermost. The epidermis is the outermost skin
layer. The prefix (ad-) means near, next to, or toward. The adrenal glands are
located attached at the top the kidneys.
C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina
4
It contains liver, gallbladder, duodenum, head of pancreas, right kidney
and adrenal gland, hepatic flexure of colon, part of ascending colon, Right
upper quadrant transverse colon. The RUQ is seen from the subject's point of
view.

It contains the stomach, spleen, part of the pancreas, parts of the small
Left upper quadrant
and large intestines. The LUQ is seen from the subject's point of view.

It contains parts of the small and large intestines, right ovary, right
fallopian tube, appendix, right ureter. The RLQ is seen from the subject's
Right lower quadrant point of view.

It contains part of descending colon, sigmoid colon, left ovary and tube,
left ureter, left spermatic cord. The LLQ is seen from the subject's point Left
lower quadrant of view.
C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina
5
At the top right region; most of the liver, gallbladder as Right hypochondriac
seen from the region
subject's point of view.

At the top left region: Stomach. The left hypochondria Left hypochondriac
region is seen region
from the subject's point of view.

In the middle right region; ascending colon, right kidney, Right lumbar region
as seen from
the subject's point of view.

In the middle left region, descending colon, Left kidney, Left lumbar region
small intestine
as seen from the subject's point of view.

At the bottom right region; Cecum, Appendix as seen from Right iliac region
the subject's
point of view

At the bottom left region as seen from the subject's point Left iliac region
of view.

At the top centre region; lying on or over the stomach Epigastric region

The centremost region, which includes the umbilicus Umbilical region

Lower middle region beneath the navel Hypogastric region

C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina
6
C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina
7
Systems of the human body

C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina

8
C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina
9
Organs of the human body

1. Head (the part of your body that contains your brain, eyes, ears, mouth, nose,
etc.)

1.1. Skull (the bones in your head that protect the brain)
1.2. Brain (the part inside your head that controls your thoughts, feelings, and
movements)
1.3. Hair (the thin threads that grow on the head and body of people and
animals)
1.4. Forehead (the part of your face between your eyes and your hair) (fhed
1.5. Face (the front part of the head where the eyes, nose, and mouth are)
1.5.1. Eyes (one of the two organs in your face that you use to see with)
(sense of sight)
1.5.2. Cheek (one of the two soft parts of your face below your eyes)
1.5.3. Nose (the part of your face that you breathe through and smell with)
(sense of smell)
1.5.4. Mouth (the part of the face that is used for eating and speaking)
(sense of taste)
1.5.5. Tongue (t) (the large, soft piece of flesh in the mouth that you can
move, and is used for tasting, speaking, etc)
1.5.6. Tooth (s)/Teeth (pl) (one of the hard, white objects in the mouth that
are used for biting and chewing (= crushing food)
1.5.7. Chin (tn)( the part of a person's face below their mouth)
1.5.8. Ear (r)(one of the two parts of the body on your head that you hear
with) (sense of hearing)
2. Neck (the part of the body between your head and your shoulders)
3. Trunk, Torso (the human body considered without head, arms, or legs)
3.1. Torax
3.1.1. Chest (the front of your body between your neck and your stomach)
3.1.2. Breast (brest)(mammary gland: an organ in a woman's breast that
produces milk to feed a baby)
3.1.3. Pharynx [faringks]. (the part of the throat that leads from the mouth
and nasal passages to the oesophagus/esophagus)
3.1.4. Larynx (lriks)(the upper part of the throat that contains the vocal
cords; voice box)
3.1.5. Trachea /trki.. the tube in the body that carries air that has been
breathed in from the upper end of the throat to the lungs:
3.1.6. Lungs (either of the two organs in the chest with which people
breathe)
3.1.7. Bronchus, Bronchi /br.ks/ plural bronchi UK br/-ka. one of the
two tubes that branch from the trachea (= tube that carries air from the
throat to the lungs) and carry air into the lungs
3.1.8. Thorax bones:
3.1.8.1. Ribs: (one of the curved bones in the chest)
3.1.8.2. Rib cage (the structure of ribs (= curved bones) in the chest)
(=
3.1.8.3. Breastbone (the long flat bone in the front of the chest which
is connected to the collarbone and the first seven pairs of ribs;
sternum)
3.1.8.4. Spine (a long line of bones in a persons back) (the line of
linked bones running down the back of humans)
3.1.9. Chest (the front of your body between your neck and your stomach)
3.1.10.Heart (the organ in your chest that sends the blood around your
body)
 3.1.11.Waist (the part around the middle of your body where you wear a
belt)
3.1.12.Diaphragma (dafrm/)( the large muscle between your lungs and
your stomach that moves up and down to move air in and out of the
lungs)
3.1.13.Ribs

C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina

10
3.2. Abdomen (abdominal region) (the front, lower part of your body that has
your stomach and other parts in it) https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=gAl3wRprsuA
3.2.1. Right Hypochondrium
3.2.1.1. Liver(a part in your body that cleans your blood)
3.2.1.2. Gallbladder (a small organ in the body, connected to the liver,
that stores bile (= a bitter liquid that helps to digest food)
3.2.1.3. Right Kidney (one of the two organs in your body that remove
waste from the blood)
3.2.1.4. Small Intestine (ntest)( a long tube that carries food from
your stomach)
3.2.2. Left Hypochondrium
3.2.2.1. Spleen (an organ of the body, close to the stomach, which
causes changes in the blood)
3.2.2.2. Colon (the lower part of the large intestine that absorbs water
from digested food and changes it into solid waste matter)
3.2.2.3. Left Kidney
3.2.2.4. Pancreas (pkris)( an organ in the body that makes insulin
(= a substance that controls the amount of sugar in the blood) and
other substances that help to change food into a form that the
body can use)
3.2.3. Epigastrium
3.2.3.1. Stomach (stmk)( the part of your body where food is
digested)
3.2.3.2. Liver.releases bile. (Bile: a yellowish thick bitter fluid in the
liver)
3.2.3.3. Pancreas
3.2.3.4. Duodenum (du.di.nm)( the first part of the bowels just
below the stomach)
3.2.3.5. Spleen
3.2.3.6. Adrenal Glands (dri.nl lnd)( one of a pair of glands that
produce adrenalin, found just above the kidneys)
3.2.4. Right Lumber Region
3.2.4.1. Gallbladder
3.2.4.2. Liver
3.2.4.3. Right Colon
3.2.5. Left Lumber Region
3.2.5.1. Descending Colon
3.2.5.2. Left Kidney
3.2.6. Umbilical Region
3.2.6.1. Umbilicus (mbl..ks)( the small, round part in the middle of
the belly that is left after the umbilical cord (= the long tube of
flesh joining the baby to its mother) has been cut at birth).
Synonym: Navel (ne.vl)
3.2.6.2. Jejunum (didunm)( the middle section of the small
intestine, located between the duodenum and the ileum).
3.2.6.3. Ileum (l.i.m)( the last and narrowest part of the small
intestine (= part of bowels after the stomach), where substances
from food are absorbed.
3.2.6.4. Duodenum
3.2.7. Right Iliac Fossa (right inguinal fossa)
3.2.7.1. Appendix (a small tube-shaped part inside the body below the
stomach, attached to the large intestine)( pendks)
3.2.7.2. Cecum /caecum (si.km)( the bag-shaped part at the
beginning of the large intestine (= lower part of the bowels) where
 it joins onto the ileum/any bag-shaped structure in the body that
only has one opening)
3.2.8. Left Iliac Fossa (left inguinal fossa)
3.2.8.1. Descending Colon

C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina

11
 3.2.8.2. Sigmoid Colon
3.2.9. Hypogastrium
3.2.9.1. Urinary Bladder (j.r.nr.i)( an organ like a bag inside the
body of a person or animal, where urine is stored before it leaves
the body:to empty your bladder (= urinate)
3.2.9.2. Sigmoid Colon
3.2.9.3. Female Reproductive Organs
4. Limbs
4.1. Arms (either of the two long parts of the upper body that are attached to
the shoulders and have the hands at the end)
4.1.1. Shoulders (the place where your arm joins your body next to your
neck)
4.1.2. Elbow (the part in the middle of the arm where it bends, or the part of
a piece of clothing that covers this area)
4.1.3. Wrist (the part of the body between the hand and the arm)
4.1.4. Hand (the part of the body at the end of the arm that is used for
holding, moving, touching, and feeling things)
4.1.5. Fingers (one of the five long parts at the end of your hand)(Thumb,
fore finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger)
4.1.6. Nails (the hard part at the end of your fingers and toes)
4.2. Legs (one of the parts of the body of a human or animal that is used for
standing or walking)
4.2.1. Thigh (a)( the top part of your leg above your knee)
4.2.2. Knee (the middle part of your leg where it bends)
4.2.3. Calf (the back of your leg below your knee)
4.2.4. Shin (the front part of a leg between the knee and the foot)
4.2.5. Heel (the back part of your foot)
4.2.6. Ankle (the part of your leg that is just above your foot)
4.2.7. Foot (s)/Feet(pl) (one of the two flat parts on the ends of your legs
that you stand on)
4.2.8. Toes (one of the five separate parts at the end of your foot)
5. Back (the part of your body from your shoulders to your bottom)
5.1. Backbone (the line of bones along the centre of your back)
5.2. Buttock (one of the two sides of your bottom)
5.3. Bottom (the part of your body that you sit on, the lowest part of your back)
6. Skeleton
6.1. Skull
C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina
12
Abdomen Regions Organs

Right Liver, Gallbladder, Right Kidney, Small Intestine

Hypochondrium

Left Spleen, Colon, Left Kidney, Pancreas

Hypochondrium

Epigastrium Stomach, Liver, Pancreas, Duodenum, Spleen, Adrenal

Glands

Right Lumber Gallbladder, Liver, Right Colon

Region

Left Lumber Descending Colon, Left Kidney

Region

Umbilical Region Umbilicus, Jejunum, Ileum, Duodenum

Right Iliac Fossa Appendix, Cecum

Left Iliac Fossa Descending Colon, Sigmoid Colon

Hypogastrium Urinary Bladder, Sigmoid Colon, Female Reproductive

Organs
C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina 13
ANATOMICAL TERMINOLOGY, DIRECTIONAL TERMS, BODY PLANES

Remember, there is universal agreement in the field of anatomy that the relative
description of the human body is always in a specific position called anatomical
position. In this position, the individual is standing upright, face forward, with
the upper limbs positioned at the sides, the palms turned forward, and the feet
flat on the floor.
Exercise 1
Directional terms are used by anatomists to locate numerous body structures
in relationship to one another. Label the following directional terms on Figure B,
based on their description below. Then, using the same directional terms, fill in
the blanks to describe the body parts relationship to one another.
1) Superior: toward the head or upper part of a structure. Example: The head is
superior to the shoulders.
2) Inferior: away from the head or toward the lower part of a structure.
Example: The intestines are inferior to the lungs
3) Anterior (also known as ventral): toward the front of the body. Example: The
trachea is anterior to the esophagus.
4) Posterior (also known as dorsal): toward the back of the body. Example: The
esophagus is posterior to the trachea.
5) Medial: locating a structure nearer to the midline of the body, this divides the
body into equal right and left halves. Example: The ulna is medial to the
radius.
6) Lateral: locating a structure further from the midline of the body. Example:
The lungs are lateral to the heart.
7) Intermediate: being between two structures. Example: The index finger is
intermediate to the thumb and middle finger.
8) Proximal: nearer to the point of attachment of an appendage to the trunk of
the body. Example: The knee is proximal to the shin.
9) Distal: farther from the point of attachment of an appendage to the trunk of
the body. Example: The elbow is distal the shoulder.
10) Superficial: toward or on the surface of the body. Example: The skin is
superficial to the muscles.
11) Deep: away from the surface of the body. Example: The ribs are deep to the
skin.

Exercise 2
Complete the sentences about location and directional terms in the human body:
The heart is ________________ to the lungs.
The thumb is _________________ to the wrist.
The kneecap is _________________to the ankle.
The nose lies on the __________________ surface of the body.
The eyes are located _______________ to the nose.
The ears are situated _______________ to the head.
The upper arm muscle is _______________ to the skin.
The ring finger is located _______________relative to the thumb.
The spine is located _________________.
The esophagus is located _______________to the trachea.

C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina

14
Exercise 3
Imaginary flat surfaces, or planes, can also be used to describe the various
regions of the body. These planes pass through various angles of the body.
Label Figure D with the correct plane described below.

A. Midsaggital plane- separates the body into equal right and left halves
B. Parasaggital plane- separates the body into unequal right and left halves
C. Frontal/Coronal plane- vertical plane that separates the body into
anterior and posterior sections
D. Tranverse/Cross/Horizontal plane- divides the body into superior and
inferior portions

Exercise 4

The organs within the body are located within body cavities. Each of these
cavities is lined with membranes and contains organs. The major body
cavities include the cranial cavity, which houses the brain, the thoracic
cavity for the heart and lungs, the abdominal cavity, mainly for the digestive
organs, and finally the pelvic cavity, for the reproductive organs. Label the
cavities on Figure E.
C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina
15
Exercise 5
Since the abdominopelvic cavity is so large, it is further divided into
quadrants. Label Figure with the appropriate quadrant name. The choices
are . . .
Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ)
Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ)
Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ)
Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ)

1 2

4 3

Exercise 6

For anatomical studies, a nine-region division is more widely used. The nine-
region division allows us to place organs and structures in a fairly precise
manner. The four quadrant system is generally used by clinicians to locate
the side of pain, tumors, and other abnormalities.

Umbilical region: the centermost region characterized by the presence of

the umbilicus (bellybutton).
Right lumbar region: the region immediately to the right lateral of the
umbilical region.
Left lumbar region: the region immediately to the left lateral of the umbilical
region.

Epigastric: the region immediately superior to the umbilical region which

overlies most of the stomach.
Right hypochondriac region: positioned immediately to the right lateral
area of the epigastric region.
Left hypochondriac region: positioned immediately to the left lateral area of
the epigastric region.
Hypogastric region: positioned immediately below the umbilical region.
Right iliac region: positioned immediately to the right lateral area of the
hypogastric region.
Left iliac region: positioned immediately to the left lateral area of the
hypogastric region.
C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina
16
 Label the nine regions on Figure. In which region, or regions, do the following
organs lie?
Stomach _______________________
Kidneys ________________________
Spleen _________________________
Gall Bladder _____________________
Appendix _______________________
Transverse colon_________________
Urethra________________________
Rectum ________________________
Urinary Bladder __________________
Uterus _________________________
Ovary __________________________
Small Intestine ___________________
Liver___________________________
Large Intestine___________________
Ascending colon__________________

http://www.wiley.com/legacy/college/bio/tortora366927/resources/student/anatomyd
rill/ch1.html

C.L.I.L. 2nd Term Health Information Technician Pgina

17