Medical Terminology
Lesson 2:
Anatomy 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 =
• Base =
• Proximal =
Tip or summit of an organ
Bottom or lower part of an organ
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 Cavities
The body has many open spaces or
cavities
Body Cavities
Body Cavities and Their Major
Organs
Cavity
Dorsal Cavities
Cranial Cavity
Spinal Cavity
Ventral Cavities
Thoracic Cavity
Major Organs
Brain
Spinal Cord
Pleural Cavity: Lungs
Pericardial Cavity: Heart
Mediastinum: Heart, esophagus, trachea, thymus
gland, aorta
Abdominopelvic
Cavity
Abdominal Cavity Stomach, spleen, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and
portions of the small intestines and colon
Pelvic Cavity
Female: Uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, vagina
Male: 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
Definition
abdomin/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