Lecture One - Positioning nomenclature Flashcards
What is the Coronal plane?
Oriented vertically and divide the body into anterior and posterior parts.
What is the Sagittal plane?
Oriented vertically and are at right angles to the coronal planes and divide the body into right and left parts.
The plane passing through teh very middle of the body dividing the left and right halves is called the median saggital plane.
What is the transverse, horisontal or axial planes?
Divide the body into superior and inferior parts. Horisontal division.
Define anterior, ventral posterior and dorsal.
Anterior and ventral mean the front of the body.
E.g. The nose is an anterior (ventral) structure.
Posterior and dorsal mean at the back of the body.
E.g. the vertebral column is a posterior (dorsal) structure.
Also,
The nose is anterior to the ears.
The vertebral column is posterior to the sternum.
Define medial and lateral.
These terms describe structures relative to the median sagittal plane and the sides of the body.
E.g. The thumb is lateral to the little finger.
E.g. The nose is in the median sagittal plane and is medial to the eyes, which are in turn medial to the external ears.
Used to describe two sides of a structure, say the medial and lateral sides of the knee are the inner side of the knee (closest to the median sagittal plane) and the outer part of the knee.
Define superior and inferior.
Describe structures in reference to the vertical axis of the body. That is the head is superior to the feet. And the feet are inferior to the head.
Define proximal and distal.
Used with reference to being closer or further from a structures origin, particularly in the limbs.
Distal = further.
Proximan = closer.
E.g. the hand is distal to the elbow joint (further).
E.g. can be used to describe the relative position of branches along the course of linear structures, such as the airways, vessels and nerves. That is distal branches occur further away towards the ends of the system, whereas proximal branches occur closer to and towad the origin of the system.
Define cranial and caudal.
Cranial means towards the head.
Caudal means towards the tail.
Can sometimes be used instead of superior and inferior.
Define rostal.
Can be used to describe structures, particularly in the head, relative to the nose.
E.g. the forebrain is rostal to the hindbrain.
Define superficial and deep.
Used to describe structures relative to the surface of the body.
E.g. the sternum is superficial to the hear. And the stomach is deep to the abdomin wall.
Can also be used in a more absolute fashion to define two makor regions of the body.
The superficial region of the body is external to the outer layer of deep fascia. Including the skin, superficial fascia, and mammary glands.
Deep structures are enclosed by this layer. Including most skeletal muscles and viscera.
