Body Parts

Frontal/coronal plane

Vertical field passing through the body from side to side, dividing the body into anterior and posterior portions.

Sagittal plane

Vertical field running through the body from front to back, dividing the body into right and left sides.

Midsagittal plane

Divides the body into right and left halves.

Transverse plane

Horizontal field dividing the body into upper and lower portions.

Umbilical region

Around the navel (umbilicus).

Epigastric region

Directly above the umbilical region.

Hypogastric region

Directly below the umbilical region.

Hypochondriac regions

To the right and left of the epigastric region.

Lumbar regions

To the right and left of the umbilical region.

Iliac regions

To the right and left of the hypogastric region.

Prefixes

bi-

two

uni-

one

Combining Forms

anter/o

front

caud/o

tail (downward)

cephal/o

head (upward)

dist/o

away (from the point of attachment of a body part)

dors/o

back

infer/o

below

later/o

side

medi/o

middle

poster/o

back, behind

proxim/o

near (the point of attachment of a body part)

super/o

above

ventr/o

belly (front)

Suffixes

-ad

toward

-ior

pertaining to

Abbreviations

ant

anterior

AP

anteroposterior

inf

inferior

lat

lateral

LLQ

left lower quadrant

LUQ

left upper quadrant

med

medial

PA

posteroanterior

RLQ

right lower quadrant

RUQ

right upper quadrant

sup

superior