Chapter 1: 1.6 Abdominopelvic Regions and Quadrants

Question 1

First method of dividing the abdominopelvic cavity

Answer 1

• Two transverse and two vertical lines, aligned like a tick-tack-toe grid, partition this cavity into nine abdominopelvic regions
• The superior horizontal line, the subcostal plane, passes across the lowest level of the 10th costal cartilages
• The inferior horizontal line, the transtubercular plane passes across the superior margins of the iliac crests of the right and left hip bones
• The vertical lines, the left and right midclavicular lines are drawn through the midpoints of the clavicles, just medial to the nipples
• The four lines divide the abdominopelvic cavity into a larger middle section and smaller left and right sections

Question 2

Names of the nine abdominopelvic regions

Answer 2

• Right hypochondriac
• Epigastric
• Left hypochondriac
• Right lateral
• Umbilical
• Left lateral
• Right inguinal (iliac)
• Hypogastric (pubic)
• Left inguinal (iliac)

Question 3

Organs in Right hypochondriac region

Answer 3

• Liver
• Gallbladder
• Right kidney
• Large/Small intestine

Question 4

Organs in epigastric region

Answer 4

• Stomach
• Liver
• Pancreas
• Duodenum
• Spleen
• Adrenal glands

Question 5

Organs in left hypochondriac

Answer 5

• Spleen
• Large/small intestine
• Left kidney
• Pancreas
• Tip of liver
• Stomach

Question 6

Organs in right lumbar

Answer 6

• Ascending colon
• Small intestine
• Right kidney

Question 7

Organs in umbilical region

Answer 7

• Duodenum
• Small intestine
• Transverse colon

Question 8

Organs in left lumbar

Answer 8

• Descending colon
• Small intestine
• Left kidney

Question 9

Organs in right iliac

Answer 9

• Appendix
• Cecum
• Ascending colon
• Small intestine

Question 10

Organs in hypogastric region

Answer 10

• Bladder
• Sigmoid colon
• Small intestine
• Reproductive organs

Question 11

Organs in left iliac

Answer 11

• Sigmoid colon
• Descending colon
• Small intestine

Question 12

Second method of dividing abdominopelvic cavity

Answer 12

• Divides the abdominopelvic cavity into quadrants
• In this method, transumbilical plane, and a median plane, are passed through the umbilicus

Question 13

Names of the 4 abdominopelvic cavities

Answer 13

• Right upper quadrant
• Left upper quadrant
• Right lower quadrant
• Left lower quadrant

Question 14

Method more widely used for anatomical studies to describe organ location

Answer 14

• Nine-region division

Question 15

Method more commonly used by clinicians for describing the site of abdominopelvic pain, tumor, injury, or other abnormality

Answer 15

Quadrant method