Anatomical Directional Terms & Body Planes (LAB 1) Flashcards
anterior
towards the front, in front
posterior
behind something
ventral
towards the stomach, also known as “anterior”
dorsal
back of body
bilateral
can be found on left and right side
distal
body part is farthest away from trunk of body
terminal
structure that is most distal
proximal
structure closer to trunk of body
median
middle, midline, divides body into right and left parts
medial
structure closer to or pointed towards median
lateral
structure pointing away from midline
superior
situated towards top of head, uses “supra-“ as abbreviation
inferior
situated towards the feet, uses “infra-“ “hypo-“ “sub-“ as abbreviation
superficial
structure closer to outer surface of body
deep
located under one or more overlying structures
external
structure is open to external environment
internal
structure is not open to external environment
palmar
anterior position of hand, also known as “volar”
dorsum/ posterior
back of hand
radial
refers to radius bone of forearm
ulnar
situated alongside pinky finger
plantar
bottom of foot
frontal
in direction of frontal bone
occipital
towards the occipital bone
coronal
divides body into front and back, also known as “frontal”
sagittal
splits body into left and right parts
transverse
divides body into upper and lower parts, also known as “axial”
supine
lying face up
prone
lying face down
right lateral decubitus
lying on your right side
left lateral decubitus
lying on your left side
unilateral
structure is only on ONE side of body
ipsilateral
two DIFFERENT structures that appear/occur on the same side of the body
contralateral
two DIFFERENT structures that appear/occur on opposite sides of the body
ventral body cavity
houses internal organs in 2 cavities
- thoracic cavity
- abdominopelvic cavity
dorsal body cavity
protects nervous system organs in 2 cavities
- spinal/vertebral cavity
- cranial cavity
cranial cavity
made up of bones of the skull and encases the brain
vertebral/ spinal cavity
encases the spinal cord
thoracic cavity
encases the heart and lungs
has two subdivisions:
- 2 pleural cavities
- mediastinum
2 pleural cavities
encases both the left and right lungs, within the thoracic cavity
mediastinum
areas b/w 2 lungs, contains a smaller cavity called the pericardial cavity, within thoracic cavity