Anatomy and Medical Terminology] Msc

Lecture_2 [ANATOMY AND MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY] MSC. NABAA SALAH Directional term: In general, directional terms are grouped in pairs of opposites based on the standard anatomical position.

. Superior and Inferior. Superior means above, inferior means below. The elbow is superior (above) to the hand. The foot is inferior (below) to the knee.

. Anterior and Posterior. Anterior means toward the front (chest side) of the body, For example, the abdominal muscles are anterior to the spine. Ventral is similar to anterior; it means toward the abdomen. Posterior means toward the back, the spine is posterior to the abdominal muscles. The term dorsal has a similar meaning as posterior.

. Median, Medial and Lateral. Median: At the midline of the body. The nose is a median structure. Medial means toward the midline of the body, the big toe is medial to the little toe. Lateral means away from the midline, the little toe is lateral to the big toe.

. Proximal and Distal Proximal means closest to the point of origin or trunk of the body, the shoulder is proximal to the elbow. Distal means farthest away, the elbow is distal to the shoulder. Proximal and distal are often used when describing arms and legs.

. Superficial and Deep. Superficial means toward the body surface, the skin is superficial to the muscles.

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Lecture_2 [ANATOMY AND MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY] MSC. NABAA SALAH Deep means farthest from the body surface, the abdominal muscles are deep to the skin. Other directional terms:

. Intermediate – means between—your hearts is intermediate to your lungs.

. Caudal – at or near the tail or posterior end of the body.

. Cranial _ close to the top of the skull.

. Visceral – may be used instead of deep.

. Unilateral: On only one side of the body, like the stomach and liver.

. Bilateral: On both the left and right sides of the body, such as the eyes, the kidneys, and the arms and legs.

. Ipsilateral: On the same side of the body. For example, the right ear and the right eye are ipsilateral.

. Contra lateral: On opposite sides of the body. The right ear is contralateral to the left ear. Body planes:

An anatomical plane is a hypothetical plane used to transect the human body, in order to describe the location of structures or the direction of movements. In human and animal anatomy, three principal planes are used:

 Sagittal Plane (Lateral Plane) This is a vertical plane that divides the body into equal right and left halves. Basically, we cut the person in a straight, vertical line from the head through the belly button and down to the toes. The Sagittal Plane, therefore, creates equal right and left halves of our body.  Coronal Plane (Frontal Plane)

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Lecture_2 [ANATOMY AND MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY] MSC. NABAA SALAH A vertical plane running from side to side; divides the body or any of its parts into anterior and posterior portions.

 Axial Plane (Transverse Plane)

A horizontal plane; divides the body or any of its parts into upper and lower parts.

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Lecture_2 [ANATOMY AND MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY] MSC. NABAA SALAH

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