Anatomy UNIT 1: DIrectional Terms & Cuts/Planes Flashcards
Left
Patient’s left (your right)
Right
Patient’s right (your left)
Superior
Above or towards the top
Inferior
Below or towards the bottom
Midline
Imaginary line that divides the body into equal left/right - it is a line in the middle of the body
Medial
TOWARDS the midline!
Lateral
AWAY from the midline!
Anterior
Toward the front
Posterior
Toward the back
Ventral (more specific than anterior)
On/at belly’s surface
Dorsal (more specific than posterior)
On/at backbone’s surface
Distal
Towards the distant end of an extremity (part sticking out) or appendage (arm/leg) DISTal=DISTant
Proximal
Towards the beginning of an extremity or appendage (closer to trunk or torso)
Deep
(Deep) into tissues; further below the surface
Superficial
Shallow; towards the surface
Intermediate
In between two organs/objects
Caudal
On/at the tail end (butt) compared to head
Cranial/Cephalic
On/at the head end
Prone
Face down, back exposed
Supine
Lying on back, belly & face exposed
Where does the line for Dorsal and Ventral extend on a dog or other 4-legged animal?
Vertical. Starting on the belly surface (ventral up to back surface (dorsal)
Where does the line for Cranial and Caudal extend on a dog or 4-legged animal?
Horizontal. From their head (Cranial) ——> to their butt/tail end (Caudal)
Where does the line for Anterior and Posterior extend on a dog or 4-legged animal?
Similar to Cranial and Caudal. It is horizontal. Starting at front (the dog’s head/chest) for Anterior then ending where the tail or butt is for Posterior.
Where does the line for Superior and Inferior extend on a dog or 4-legged animal?
(Sort of) similar to Dorsal and Ventral. It is vertical. The superior side on the top like dorsal and the inferior side on bottom like ventral. The difference is that Superior/Inferior is not specific to back and belly. Think of superior like closest point of the dog to the ceiling above it. And Inferior like closest point of the dog to the floor.
