Body Cavities

Elijah Guttierrez
Anatomical Position
The erect position of the body with the face directed forward, the arms at the side, and the palms of the hands facing
forward, used as a reference in describing the relation of body parts to one another.
Anterior and Ventral
Anterior: is to be situated near or toward the front of the body.

Ventral: when something is said to be ventral, it means that it is closer to the front side of the body.
Posterior and Dorsal
Posterior: further back in position; of or nearer the rear or hind end, especially of the body or a part of it.

Dorsal:on, or relating to the upper side or back of an animal, plant, or organ.

Cranial and Caudal
Cranial is the bones of the skull and caudal is is a tail bone or tail
Superior and Inferior

Superior is the human neck while the head is inferior

Medial and Lateral

Medial and lateral: Medial refers to being toward the midline of the body or
the median plane, which splits the body, head-to-toe, into two halves, the
left and right. Lateral is the side of the body or part of the body that is
away from the middle
Proximal and distal
Proximal refers to something closer to the torso while distal refers to parts
and places away from the torso. So a finger is distal to the wrist, which is
distal to the elbow, which is then distal to the shoulder
Superficial or External and Deep or Internal
superficial is a directional term that indicates one structure is located more
externally than another, or closer to the surface of the body. The opposite
of superficial is deep.
Sagittal Plane

Sagittal Plane is an anatomical plane which divides the body into right
and left parts
Coronal Plane

A coronal plane (also known as the frontal plane) is any vertical plane that
divides the body into ventral and dorsal (belly and back) sections. It is one
of the three main planes of the body used to describe the location of body
parts in relation to each other.
Transverse

Sections through or parallel to either the sagittal or coronal (also called

frontal) plane are longitudinal. A transverse section is perpendicular to the
anterior-posterior axis and is also called a cross section
Dorsal Cavity

The dorsal body cavity is located along the dorsal surface of the human
body, where it is subdivided into the cranial cavity housing the brain and
the spinal cavity housing the spinal cord. The two cavities are continuous
with one another.
Cranial Cavity

Cranial Cavity or the Intracranial Cavity refers to the gap or space formed
inside the skull. There are several organs in the Cranial cavity, including
the brain, which is lined by meninges, containing cerebrospinal fluids, to
cushion blows.
Spinal Cavity

the space in the vertebral column formed by the vertebrae through which
the spinal cord passes. It is a process of the dorsal body cavity. This canal
is enclosed within the vertebral foramen of the vertebrae.
Thoracic Cavity
is the chamber of the
body of vertebrates that
is protected by the
thoracic wall (rib cage
and associated skin,
muscle, and fascia).
The central
compartment of the
thoracic cavity is the
mediastinum.
Abdominal Cavity
empty space. It contains
a number of crucial
organs including the
lower part of the
esophagus, the stomach,
small intestine, colon,
rectum, liver, gallbladder,
pancreas, spleen,
kidneys, and bladder.
Pelvic Cavity

a body cavity that is bounded by the bones of the pelvis. Its oblique roof is
the pelvic inlet (the superior opening of the pelvis). Its lower boundary is
the pelvic floor. The pelvic cavity primarily contains reproductive organs,
the urinary bladder, the pelvic colon, and the rectum.
Visceral Serous Membrane

It line the walls of the body

cavity (pariet- refers to a
cavity wall). The visceral
layer of the membrane
covers the organs (the
viscera). Between the
parietal and visceral layers
is a very thin, fluid-filled
serous space, or cavity.
Serous Cavity

serous cavities, where they

secrete a lubricating fluid which
reduces friction from muscle
movement. Serosa is entirely
different from the adventitia, a
connective tissue layer which
binds together structures rather
than reducing friction between
them.
Serous Fluid

is any of various body fluids resembling serum, that are typically pale
yellow and transparent and of a benign nature. The fluid fills the inside of
body cavities.
Parietal serous Membrane
is a smooth tissue membrane consisting of two
layers of mesothelium, which secrete serous
fluid. The inner layer that covers organs
(viscera) in body cavities is called the visceral
membrane. A second layer of epithelial cells of
the serous membrane, called the parietal layer,
lines the body wall. Between the two layers is a
potential space, mostly empty except for a few
milliliters of lubricating serous fluid that is
secreted by the two serous membranes