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 Regions Abdomin/o: abdomen Caud/o: tail Cervic/o: neck or cervix (neck of the uterus) ili/o: ilium (hip bone) Inguin/o: groin Lumb/o: loins (lower back) Pelv/i or pelv/o: pelvis Cost/o: ribs Spin/o: spine Thorac/o: chest Umbilic/o: navel, umbilicus

Combining Forms: Directional Terms Anter/o: anterior, front Dist/o: far, furthest Dors/o: back of the body infer/o: lower, below Later/o: side or to one side Medi/o: middle Poster/o: back of the body, behind Proxim/o: near, nearest Super/o: upper, above Ventr/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