Body Cavities

Question 0

What is the thoracic cavity surround by and what is it made up of?

Answer 0

Surrounded by the ribs and muscles of the chest and is made up of two pleural cavities (1 for each lung) and a pericardial cavity (for the heart)

Question 1

The body is split into dorsal and ventral body cavities, what are these split into?

Answer 1

• Dorsal: the cranial cavity and the vertebral cavity that contain the brain and the spinal chord and protect the nervous system organs
• Ventral: The thoracic cavity, the abdominal cavity and the pelvic cavity

Question 2

What does the thoracic cavity contain and what divides it into left and right?

Answer 2

Contains the heart, lungs, thymus glands, nerves and blood vessels, oesophagus, trachea and the mediastinum which divides it into left and right

Question 3

What is the muscular sheet that separates the thoracic and abdominal cavities?

Answer 3

The diaphragm

Question 4

What is the abdominal cavity closed by and what does it contain?

Answer 4

The abdominal muscles and it contains the liver, stomach, spleen, kidneys and the pancreas

Question 5

What is the pelvic cavity surrounded by and what does it contain?

Answer 5

The pelvic bones and contains the internal reproductive organs, the urinary bladder and the rectum

Question 6

Describe the quadrant method of diving the abdominopelvic cavity?

Answer 6

Split into 4 quadrants which give a general location of organs used by clinicians and nurses 
- Upper right (liver)
- Lower right (appendix)
- Upper left
- Lower left 
The umbilicus is in the centre

Question 7

Describe the 9 regions of the abdominopelvic cavity

Answer 7

• The right and left hypochondriac regions under the ribs which have the epigastric region between them (the location of the stomach)
• The right and left lumbar regions which have the umbilical region between them
• The right and left iliac region (positioned at hips) which have the hypogastric region between them (location of reproductive and excretory organs.

RH E LH
RL U LL
RI H LI

Question 8

What are the two lines that separate the middle regions from the left and right regions?

Answer 8

The mid clavicular lines that use the middle of each clavicle as a reference point

Question 9

What is the line that separates the hypochondriac regions from the lumbar regions?

Answer 9

The trans pyloric/subcostal line at the level of the pylorus of the stomach

Question 10

What is the line that separates the lumbar and illiac regions called?

Answer 10

The trans-tubercular line which is located at the anterior superior part of the illiac spine of the hips