Medical TerminologyMedical TerminologyLesson 2:Lesson 2:Anatomy and PhysiologyAnatomy and Physiology

Anatomical Position

• Used when describing positions and relationships of structures in the human body

• Describes the position of the body standing erect with arms at the side of the body, palms facing forward, eyes looking straight ahead

• Legs are parallel with feet and toes are pointing forward

• Assumption that person is always in anatomical position even if body or parts of the body are in other positions

Body Planes

• Coronal or frontal • Horizontal or transverse• Sagittal• Used to assist in describing the body and its

parts• Imagine slicing through the body at various

angles

Planes of the body: coronal or frontal, transverse, and midsagittal.

Sagittal Plane

• Vertical plane• Runs lengthwise from

front to back• Divides the body and its

parts into left and right portions

• Right and left sides do not have to be equal

Frontal Plane

• Also known as coronal• Divides the body into

front and back positions• Vertical lengthwise

plane running from side to side

Transverse Plane

• Horizontal plane• Crosswise plane that

runs parallel to the ground

• Imaginary cut that divides the body and its parts into upper and lower portions

Directional Terms

• Assist medical personnel in position or location of patient’s complaint

• Help to describe one process, organ, or system as it relates to another

• They are listed in pairs that have opposite meanings in the following table

Directional Anatomical Terms

Terms for Describing Body Position

• Superior or cephalic =More toward the head, or above another structure

• Inferior or caudal = More toward the feet or tail, or below another

structure

• Anterior or ventral More toward the front or belly-side of the body

Terms for Describing Body Position

• Posterior or dorsal = More toward the back or spinal cord side of the body

• Medial = Refers to the middle or near the middle of the body or the structure

• Lateral = Refers to the side

• Apex = Tip or summit of an organ • Base = Bottom or lower part of an organ• Proximal = Located nearer to the point of

attachment to the body

Terms for Describing Body Position

• Distal = Located farther away from the point of attachment to

the body • Superficial = More toward the surface of the

body• Deep = Further away from the surface

of the body• Supine = The body lying horizontally and

facing upward• Prone = The body lying horizontally and

facing downward

Supine Position

Prone Position

Body CavitiesThe body has many open spaces or

cavities

Body Cavities

Body Cavities and Their Major Organs

CavityDorsal Cavities Cranial Cavity Spinal Cavity

Major Organs

BrainSpinal Cord

Ventral Cavities Thoracic Cavity Pleural Cavity: Lungs

Pericardial Cavity: HeartMediastinum: Heart, esophagus, trachea, thymus gland, aorta

Abdominopelvic Cavity Abdominal Cavity Pelvic Cavity

Stomach, spleen, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and portions of the small intestines and colonFemale: Uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, vaginaMale: Prostate gland, seminal vesicles, portion of the vas deferens

The Abdominopelvic Region

The Abdominopelvic Region

• Right upper quadrant (RUQ): Contains majority of the liver, gallbladder, small portion of pancreas, small intestines, and colon

• Right lower quadrant (RLQ): Contains small intestines and colon, right ovary and fallopian tube, appendix, and right ureter

• Left upper quadrant (LUQ): Contains small portion of liver, spleen, stomach, majority of pancreas, small intestines, and colon

• Left lower quadrant (LLQ): Contains small intestines and colon, left ovary and fallopian tube, and left ureter

Word Building Relating to Body Structure

Combining Form Suffix Med. Term Definitionabdomin/o -al abdominal pertaining to the abdomen

caud/o -al caudal pertaining to the tail

cervic/o -al cervical pertaining to the neck

dist/o -a distal pertaining to away

epitheli/o -al epithelial pertaining to the epithelium

infer/o -ior inferior pertaining to below

proxim/o -al proximal pertaining to near

spin/o -al spinal pertaining to the spine

system/o -ic systemic pertaining to systems