6.2 Body Planes, Directions, and Cavities Body Planes: Imaginary lines drawn through the body at various parts to separate the body into sections 3 Main Body Planes Transverse, Midsagittal, and Frontal Transverse Plane: Horizontal plane divides the body into a top half and a bottom half Superior – Body parts above other parts Inferior – Body parts below other parts 2 other directional terms related to this plane are: Cranial – body parts near the head Caudal – body parts near the sacral region (tail)

Planes Continued Midsagittal or Median Plane Divides body into left and right sides Body parts close to midline called medial Body parts away from the midline are called lateral Frontal or Coronal Plane Divides the body into a front section and back section Body parts in front of plane are called Anterior or Ventral Body parts on back of body are called Posterior or Dorsal

More Directional Terms They describe the location of the extremities in relation to the main trunk of the body ( called the point of reference) Proximal – Body parts close to the point of reference (trunk) Distal – Body parts distant from the point of reference (Trunk) Examples: The wrist is distal to the shoulder The elbow is proximal to the shoulder

Body Cavities Spaces within the body that contain vital organs 2 Main Body Cavities: Anterior or Ventral Posterior or Dorsal Anterior or Ventral cavity is larger than the dorsal Separated by 2 distinct cavities which are separated by the diaphragm (dome-shaped muscle) into the Thoracic Cavity and Abdominal-Pelvic Cavity

Body Cavities Continued Abdominal-Pelvic Cavity – Divided into an upper and lower part Upper Abdominal Cavity: stomach, small intestine, most of the large intestine, appendix, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen Pelvic Cavity - Lower Abdominal Cavity: Urinary Bladder, reproductive organ, and last part of large intestine. Three Small Cavities: Orbital – Eyes Nasal – Nose structures Buccal(Mouth) – Teeth and Tongue See Figure 6-6 Body Cavities