MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY

BODY ORGANIZATION

THE BASIS OF THE LANGUAGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF MEDICINE

DR. FREDERICK, PHILEMON P.

 OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
1. To understand the Combining forms of medical terminology
2Identify terms relating to structural organization of the body.
3. Identify directional terms relating to the body as a whole
4. Identify anatomical planes, position, views or sections
5. List the five body cavities.
6. List the organs contained within the five body cavities.
7. Identify the nine body regions.
THE WORD ELEMENTS
COMBINING FORM

The combining forms (CFs) is related to the basic structural units of the
body and those that describe a particular location, or direction in the body.

In describing the location or direction of a given point in the body, it is always assumed
that the subject is in the anatomical position, that is, upright, with face front, arms at the
sides with palms forward, and feet parallel.
COMBINING FORMS
DIRECTIONAL TERMS
In describing the location or direction of a given
point in the body, it is always assumed that the
subject is in the anatomical position, that is,
upright, with face front, arms at the sides with palms
forward, and feet parallel
 ANATOMICAL PLANES
 A body plane is an imaginary flat surface that divides
the body into two sections. Different planes divide the
body into different sections, such as front and back,
left side and right side, and top and bottom. These
planes serve as points of reference for describing the
direction from which the body is being observed.
Planes are particularly useful to describe views in
which radiographic images are taken.
ANATOMICAL PLANES
In describing the location or direction of a
given point in the body, it is always assumed
that the subject is in the anatomical position,
that is, upright, with face front, arms at the
sides with palms forward, and feet parallel
Anatomical
position that is,
upright, with
face front, arms
at the sides with
palms forward,
and feet parallel
 The median (midsagittal) plane lies exactly in the middle of the body and
divides the body into two equal halves. When the chest is divided into equal
right and left sides, it is divided.
 When the lungs are divided into equal right and left sides, they are divided by
the midsagittal plane.
 The horizontal (transverse) plane runs across the body from the right side
to the left side and divides the body into upper (superior) and lower(inferior)
portions.
 Recall the term super/ior. It is a point of reference that refers to a structure
above or oriented toward a higher place. For example, the head is superior to
the heart. Infer/ior is a point of reference that refers to a structure situated
below or oriented toward a lower place.
DORSAL VIEW
INFERIOR VIEW: Under-surface view
TRANSVERSE VIEW SECTIONS
 BODY CAVITIES
 The body contains two major cavities: the dorsal and ventral cavities.
These cavities are hollow spaces that contain internal organs. They are
further subdivided into two dors/al and two ventr/al cavities.
 Internal organs are located within dorsal and ventral cavitie.The dorsal
cavity contains the brain in the cranial cavity and the spinal cord in the
spinal cavity (canal). The uppermost ventral space, the thoracic cavity,
is separated from the abdominal cavity by the diaphragm. There is no
anatomical separation between the abdominal cavity and the pelvic
cavity, which together make up the abdominopelvic cavity. The large
membrane that lines the abdominopelvic cavity and covers the organs
within it is the peritoneum (peri-to-NE-um).
BODY CAVITIES
Abdominopelvic Quadrants and Regions
 diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that plays an important role in
breathing. It separates the thorac/ic cavity from the abdomin/o/pelv/ic
cavity.
 The abdominopelvic region is further divided into quadrants and regions.
 Because the abdomin/o/pelv/ic cavity is a large area and contains many
organs, it is useful to divide it into smaller sections.
 One method divides the abdomin/o/pelv/ic cavity into quadrants.
 A second method divides the abdomin/o/pelv/ic cavity into regions.
Physicians and health care professionals use quadrants or regions as a point
of reference.
 The larger division of the abdomin/o/pelv/ic cavity consists of four
quadrants: right upper quadrant (RUQ), left upper quadrant (LUQ), right
lower quadrant (RLQ), and left lower quadrant (LLQ).
Abdominopelvic quadrants and regions. (A) Four quadrants of the abdomen.
(B) Nine regions of the abdomen showing superfi cial organs.
PELVIC CAVITY

Abdominopelvic quadrants and regions. (A) Four quadrants of

the abdomen. (B) Nine regions of the
abdomen showing superfi cial organs.
SIGNIFICANCE OF ABDOMINOPELVIC
QUADRANTS AND REGIONS
 Quadrants are useful in describing the location in the body in which a surgical procedure will be performed.
They also are useful in denoting incision sites or the location of abnormal masses such as tumors. A tumor
located in the right lower quadrant will most likely be denoted in the medical record with the abbreviation
___RLQ________.
 Quadrants may also be used to describe the location of a patient’s symptoms. The physician may pinpoint a
patient’s abdominal pain in the RLQ. Such a fi nding could indicate a diagnosis of appendicitis, because the
appendix is located in that quadrant. Pain in another quadrant, such as the LLQ, would indicate a different
diagnosis. Identify the abbreviation for the:

right lower quadrant: _____RLQ______

left lower quadrant: _____LLQ______

 Locate the quadrant that contains a major part of the stomach.
This quadrant is the __Left Upper Quadrant_____ and

its abbreviation is _____LUQ______.

 ABDOMINOPELVIC QUADRANTS AND REGIONS
 Whereas larger sections of the abdomin/o/pelv/ic cavity are divided into four quadrants, the smaller
sections are divided into nine regions, each of which corresponds to a region near a specific point in the
body. As with quadrants, body region designation is also used to describe the location of internal organs
and the origin of pain.
 The epi/gastr/ic region may be the location of “heartburn” pain. Pain in this area could be symptomatic of
many abnormal conditions, including indigestion or heart attack. The area of heartburn pain may be felt in
the__________ / __________ / __________ region.
 The right and left hypo/chondr/iac regions are located on each side of the epi/gastr/ic region and directly
under the cartilage of the ribs. I
 dentify the elements in hypo/chondr/iac that mean
 pertaining to: __iac_________
 under, below, defi cient: ____hypo_______
 cartilage: _______chondr_____
 Combine lumb/o abdomin -al to form a term that
means pertaining to the loins and abdomen.
__________ / _____ / ____________________ / __________
 The center of the umbilic/al region marks the point where the
umbilic/al cord of the mother entered the fetus. This is the navel or, in
layman’s terms, the “belly button.” The region that lies between the right
and left lumbar regions is designated as the ____________________ /
____________________.
A hernia is a protrusion or projection of an organ through the
wall of the cavity that normally contains it. A common type of hernia that
may occur, particularly in males, is an inguin/al hernia. This hernia would
be located in the right or left ____________________ / __________ region.
 Locate the right inguin/al region and the left inguin/al region in
A hernia on the right side of the groin is called a __________
____________________ / __________ ____________________.
 The area between the right and the left inguin/al regions is
called the hypo/gastr/ic region. This region contains the large intestine
(colon), which is involved in the removal of solid waste from the body.
Abbreviations
Identify the name of the region below the stomach that literally means
pertaining to below the stomach.
hypo/gastr/ic __________ / __________ / __________
Abbreviations
ENDOSCOPY PROCEDURE
COLONOSCOPY
PROCTOSCOPY
ASCITIS VS CIRRHOSIS
 PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1) A 40 year-old woman comes to the emergency department of
Georgetown Public Hospital where you are having your clinical rotation.
She Complains of a burning sensation of EPIGASTRIC pain relieved by
some over the counter (OTC) medication. Which of the following is not
part of the ABDOMINOPELVIC REGION.
A) Right Hypochondriac
B) Left Inguinal
C) Hypogastric
D) Parasternal
E) Umbilicus
 PRACTICE QUESTIONS
2) Quadrants of the abdomen include the following
EXCEPT____________
A) Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ)
B) Left Right Quadrant (LRQ)
C) Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ)
D) Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ)
E) Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ)
 PRACTICE QUESTIONS

3) A COLONOSCOPE is ____________

A) An instrument for cutting the colon
B) An instrument for examining the Large intestine
C) An instrument for examining the small intestine
D) An instrument for cutting bone
 REFERENCE
 Comprehensive Medical Terminology Betty Davis Jones –
Published by Thomson –Third Edition 11- ISBN-13: 978-1-4180-
3920-2
THANK YOU