The gastrointestinal tract (the abdomen) Flashcards
1
Q
What does anterolateral mean?
A
- Both anterior and lateral.
- anterior: towards the front.
- lateral: towards the sides.
2
Q
What is situated posterior of the abdominal cavity?
A
- Lumbar vertebrae.
3
Q
What does anterior mean?
A
- Situated near the front.
4
Q
What does posterior mean?
A
- Situated to the back.
5
Q
What is the umbilicus?
A
- Belly button (also known as navel).
- Caused by detachment of the umbilical chord after birth.
6
Q
What is the linea alba?
A
- Fibrous structure that runs down the middle of the abdomen.
- It runs from the xiphoid process to the pubic symphysis.
- White in colour being composed mostly of collagen connective tissue.
- Separates the left and right abdominus muscles.
7
Q
What is the rectus abdominus muscle? (abs)
A
- Paired muscle running vertically on each side of the anterior wall of the abdomen.
- They are separated by a band of connective tissue (linea alba).
- Contained in the rectus sheath.
- Three bands of connective tissue called the tendinous intersections transverse the rectus abdominus which separates this parallel muscle into 8 distinct muscle bellies.
8
Q
What are the tendinous intersections?
A
- Three fibrous bands which cross the rectus abdominus muscles.
- One situated at level of umbilicus, one at the furthest point of the xiphoid process and the third mid-way between the two.
- Can pass transversely or obliquely across muscle.
9
Q
What is the linea semilunaris?
A
- Curved tendinous intersection found on either side of the rectus abdominus muscle.
- Each corresponds with the lateral border of the rectus abdominus and extends from the cartilage of the ninth rib to the pubic tubercle.
10
Q
What is the inguinal groove?
A
- Due to the positioning of the inguinal canal, which is a passage in the interior abdominal wall that in men conveys the spermatic chord and in women the round ligament of uterus - larger and more prominent in men.
- There is an inguinal canal on each side of the midline.
- Canal is situated just above the medial half of the inguinal ligament and in both sexes the canal transmits the ilioinguinal nerve.
- Canal about 4cm long.
11
Q
How is the abdomen arranged?
A
- Four quadrants: RUQ (right upper quadrant), LUQ (left upper quadrant) RLQ (right lower quadrant) LLQ (left lower quadrant).
12
Q
What is the median plane (sometimes referred to as the sagittal plane)?
A
- Bisects the body vertically through the midline marked by the navel, dividing the body exactly in left and right side.
13
Q
What is the clinical significance of four abdominal quadrants?
A
- Locate abdominal organs.
- Locate sites of pain.
- Allow an accurate history to be taken.
14
Q
How are the four abdominal quadrants defined?
A
- By the median and transumbilical planes.
15
Q
What is the transumbilical plane?
A
- This is the transverse plane passing through the umbilicus.
16
Q
What is the transverse plane?
A
- Divides the body into superior and inferior parts (cut straight through the the middle to give you head and legs).
17
Q
What is the coronal plane?
A
- Any vertical plane that divides the body into ventral and dorsal (belly and back) sections.
18
Q
What are the three main planes of the body used to describe the location of body parts in relation to one another?
A
- Coronal, transverse and sagittal.
19
Q
Explain the 9 abdominal regions.
A
- Created by two horizontal and two vertical lines.
- Regions 1-3 are the upper abdomen regions, regions 4-6 are the middle regions and regions 7-9 are the lower regions.
20
Q
What is the transtubercular plane?
A
- Line midway between the navel and pelvic bone (bottom horizontal line in 9 regions).
- Cuts the body of the 5th lumbar vertebrae (L5).
21
Q
What is the subcostal plane?
A
- Transverse plane which bisects the body at the level of the 10th costal margin and the body of L3 (3rd lumbar vertebrae).
22
Q
What is the midclavicular plane?
A
- Imaginary line that extends downwards over the trunk from the mid point of the clavicle, dividing each side of the anterior chest into two parts (forms the two vertical lines when drawing the 9 regions of the abdomen).
23
Q
What is the abdominal cavity?
A
- cavity situated between the thoracic cavity and the pelvic cavity.
24
Q
Names of the nine regions of abdomen in order.
A
- Right hypochondriac.
- Epigastric.
- Left hypochondriac.
- Right lumbar.
- Umbilical.
- Left lumbar.
- Right iliac (inguinal).
- Hypogastric.
- Left iliac (inguinal).
25
What does superficial mean?
- existing at or occurring on the surface.
26
What does the abdominal wall consist of?
- Skin.
- Subcutaneous tissue.
- Fascia (campers and scarpa).
- Muscles (rectus abdominus, int. and ext. obliques and transfersus abdominus.
- Endoabdominal fascia.
- Extraperitoneal fat.
27
What is skin?
- Soft outer covering of vertebrates.
- Organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of ectodermal tissue and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and internal organs.
- Largest organ in human body, accounts for about 12-15 % of total body weight.
- Composed of 3 layers of tissue known as the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis.
28
What is the integumentary system?
- Organ system that protects the body from various kinds of damage such as loss of waterfront abrasion from outside.
- The system comprises the skin and the appendages (including the hair and nails).
29
What is the epidermis?
- Outermost layers of cells in the skin - initial protection barrier.
- It's a stratified squamous epithelium composed of proliferating basal and differentiated suprabasal keratinocytes which acts as the body's main barrier against an inhospitable environment, by preventing pathogens from entering.
30
What do the dermis + epidermis make ..
- Cutis.
31
What is cutis?
- Combined term for the dermis and epidermis (the two outer layers of the skin).
- Sweat pores contained in the cutis.
32
What's contained in the subcutis?
- Hair follicles, sweat glands and nerves.
33
What is the dermis?
- Layer of skin between the epidermis and the subcutaneous tissue, it consists of connective tissue and protects the body from stress and strain.
- It is divided into two layers: the superficial area adjacent to the epidermis called the papillary region and a deep thicker area known as the reticular dermis.
34
What are the structural components of the dermis?
- Collagen.
- Elastic fibres.
- Extrafibrillar matrix.
35
How are the dermis and epidermis connected?
- Through a basement membrane.
| - A basement membrane is a thin, fibrous, extracellular matrix of tissue.
36
What are the 3 main layers of skin?
- Epidermis.
- Dermis.
- Hypodermis.
37
What is subcutaneous tissue (also known as hypodermis)?
- Lowermost layer of skin.
- Cells found in the hypodermis are fibroblasts, adipose cells and macrophages.
- Used mainly for fat storage.
38
What is subcutaneous tissue composed of?
- Camper fascia and scarpa fascia (camper is superficial to scarpa).
39
What is fascia?
- Band or sheet of connective tissue fibres, primarily collagen, that forms beneath the skin to attach, stabilise, enclose and separate the muscles and other internal organs.
40
What is the peritoneum?
- Serous membrane that forms the lining of the abdominal cavity.
- Covers most of the intra-abdominal organs, and is composed of a layer of mesothelium supported by a thin layer of connective tissue.
- The peritoneum supports the abdominal organs and serves as a channel for their blood vessels, lymph vessels and nerves.
41
What is an inguinal hernia?
- Protrusion of abdominal cavity contents through the inguinal canal, more often on right than left side and are the most common type of hernia.
42
Where is the abdominal cavity located?
- Below the thoracic cavity and above the pelvic cavity.
