GI Anatomy🤮 Flashcards
Describe the abdominal cavity
The abdominal cavity is separated from the thorax by the diaphragm. As we have learned, the diaphragm contains apertures that allow structures to pass between the thorax and abdomen.
Describe the pelvic cavity
The pelvic cavity lies inferior to the abdominal cavity and is continuous with it.
What is in the abdominal cavity
The abdominal cavity contains organs of the gastrointestinal tract (stomach, small and large intestine), the hepatobiliary system (liver and gallbladder), the urinary system (kidneys and ureters) and the endocrine system (pancreas and adrenal glands). The abdomen also contains the spleen (a haematopoietic and lymphoid organ) and of course the great vessels (abdominal aorta and inferior vena cava) and their branches.
What is the abdominal wall made of?
The anterior, lateral, and posterior walls of the abdomen are composed of skin, subcutaneous tissue and muscles and their associated aponeuroses (flat tendons).
Five lumbar vertebrae contribute to the posterior wall of the abdominal cavity.
What are the functions of the abdominal wall?
- protect the abdominal viscera
- increase intra-abdominal pressure (e.g. for defecation and childbirth)
- maintain posture and move the trunk
Key bony landmarks that define the boundaries of the abdominal cavity
- Xiphisternum
- Costal margin
- Iliac crests
- Anterior superior iliac spines (ASIS)
- Pubic tubercles
- Pubic symphysis (a fibrocartilaginous joint).
What are the four quadrants of the abdomen?
In clinical practice, the anterior abdominal wall can be described in terms of the four quadrants. These are the right upper and lower quadrants and the left upper and lower quadrants.
What are the invisible lines that divide the abdomen into quadrants?
- a vertical line that runs down the midline through the lower sternum, umbilicus, and the pubic symphysis
- a horizontal line that runs across the abdomen through the umbilicus.
Why do we have the nine regions of the abdominal cavity?
Because these regions are smaller than the four quadrants, using them allows us to be more precise when we are describing the site of a patient’s pain or the location of tenderness, a mass, a swelling, an injury or a lesion on examination
What are the lines that divide the abdomen into nine regions?
- the right and left midclavicular lines, which extend vertically from the midclavicular point to the mid-inguinal point (halfway between the anterior superior iliac spine and the pubic tubercle)
- the subcostal line - a horizontal line drawn through the inferior-most parts of the right and left costal margins (through the 10th costal cartilage)
- the intertubercular line - a horizontal line drawn through the tubercles of the right and left iliac crests and the body of L5.
List the central regions from superior to inferior
The central regions, from superior to inferior, are the epigastrium, the umbilical region and the suprapubic region (sometimes called the hypogastric region).
List the right sided regions of the abdomen from superior to inferior
On the right, the regions from superior to inferior are the right hypochondrium, the right flank (sometimes called the right lumbar region) and the right iliac fossa.
List the left sided regions of the abdominal cavity from superior to inferior
On the left, the regions from superior to inferior are the left hypochondrium, the left flank (sometimes called the left lumbar region) and the left iliac fossa.
What is the transpyloric plane?
A horizontal line that passes through the tips of the right and left ninth costal cartilages. It lies halfway between the superior border of the manubrium and the pubic symphysis. It transects the pylorus of the stomach, the gallbladder, the pancreas and the hila of the kidneys.
What is the transumbilical plane?
An unreliable landmark as its position varies depending on the amount of subcutaneous fat present. In a slender individual it lies approximately at the level of L3.
What is the intercristal plane?
A horizontal line drawn between the highest points of the right and left iliac crests. It cannot be palpated from the anterior aspect of the abdominal wall. It is used to guide procedures on the back (e.g. lumbar puncture).
What is McBurney’s point?
The surface marking of the base of the appendix. It lies two thirds of the way along a line drawn from the umbilicus to the right anterior superior iliac spine.
What are the four pairs of muscles that comprise the anterolateral abdominal wall?
- External oblique (diagonally orientated fibres)
- Internal oblique (diagonally orientated fibres)
- Transversus abdominis (horizontally orientated fibres)
- Rectus abdominis (rectus = straight).
What are the 3 sheets of muscle that are lateral to the rectus abdominis?
Fibres all run in different directions
* External oblique (EO) is most superficial. The fibres of EO run medially and inferiorly, towards the midline.
* Internal oblique (IO) lies deep to EO. The fibres of IO are orientated perpendicular to those of EO (they run medially and superiorly).
* Transversus abdominis lies deep to internal oblique. Its fibres are orientated horizontally.
What do the EO, IO and transversus abdominis muscles do?
When these muscles contract together, they increase intra-abdominal pressure. Alone, the oblique muscles act as lateral flexors of the lumbar spine.
What happens to the EO, IO and transversus abdominis anteriorly?
these muscles become aponeurotic (an aponeurosis is a flat tendon). The fibres of the aponeuroses fuse with each other, and, in the midline, they fuse with the aponeuroses of the opposite side, forming a tough midline raphe (= seam) called the linea alba (‘white line’). The aponeuroses of these muscles also form the rectus sheath, which encloses the rectus abdominis.
What are the left and right rectus abdominis muscles made of?
Muscle segments interspersed with horizontal tendinous bands. When the muscle segments hypertrophy with exercise, they bulge either side of the tendinous bands and can be seen on the anterior abdominal wall as bulges – the ‘six-pack’. Rectus abdominis is a flexor of the lumbar spine.
Where is the rectus abdominis?
Rectus abdominis lies within the rectus sheath. The anterior and posterior walls of the rectus sheath are formed by the aponeuroses of EO, IO and transversus abdominis.
* As it approaches the midline, the aponeurosis of IO splits into anterior and posterior layers.
* The EO aponeurosis and the anterior layer of the IO aponeurosis form the anterior wall of the rectus sheath.
* The posterior layer of the IO aponeurosis and the transversus abdominis aponeurosis form the posterior wall of the rectus sheath.
Where is the transversalis fascia and the parietal peritoneum?
The transversalis fascia lies deep to transversus abdominis. Deep to the fascia lies the parietal peritoneum.