BODY CAVITIES Flashcards
What are the compartments of the body called?
Body cavities
Name the regions in the cranial abdominal area.
- Xiphoid or epigastric region
- Hypochondriac region (Left & Right)
What are the regions in the middle abdominal area?
- Umbilical region
- Lateral regions (Left & Right)
List the regions in the caudal abdominal area.
- Pubic region
- Inguinal region (Left & Right)
Name the cavities included in the dorsal cavity.
- Cranial cavity
- Spinal cavity
What does the ventral cavity contain?
Visceral organs
Why is understanding body cavities important?
- Evaluating normality
- Assisting with diagnostic techniques
- Performing necropsies
How can topographical landmarks help with body cavities?
They predict the location of the thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic cavities.
What are the boundaries of the thoracic cavity?
- Laterally by the ribs
- Ventrally by the sternum
- Dorsally by the vertebral column
- Cranially by the thoracic inlet
- Caudally by the diaphragm
What forms the thoracic inlet?
- First pair of ribs
- Vertebra
- Sternebra
List all the structures contained entirely within the thoracic cavity.
- Heart and great vessels
- Lungs
- Pleurae and pleural cavities
- Thymus
- Some lymph nodes
- Some sympathetic ganglia
- Mediastinum
Name the structures partially within the thoracic cavity.
- Trachea
- Esophagus
- Aorta
- Caudal vena cava
- Phrenic nerves
- Sympathetic chain
- Vagus nerves, branches, and trunks
What are the boundaries of the abdominal cavity?
- Cranially by the diaphragm
- Laterally and ventrally by the muscle of the body wall
- Dorsally by the lumbar vertebrae
- Caudally by the pelvic cavity
List all the structures entirely within the abdominal cavity.
- Stomach
- Small intestine
- Liver and gallbladder
- Pancreas
- Spleen
- Kidneys and adrenal glands
- Ovaries
Name the structures partially within the abdominal cavity.
- Peritoneum and peritoneal cavity
- Large intestine
- Ureters
- Spermatic cord
- Uterus
- Urinary bladder (when very full)
