Abdominopelvic Regions and Quadrants

Hi Readers,

My name is Franz Devantier, creator of this blog.  I am an Herbalist, who uses local and indigenous herbs when available, in preference to imported herbs.  Because Herbalists deal with living human beings, it is important to have an understanding of Anatomy and Physiology, as well as many other related subjects. 

Abdominopelvic Regions and Quadrants

The Abdominopelvic cavity is a large cavity.  It extends from below the diaphragm, right down to the cavity that is formed by the Pelvis.  There are many organs contained in this cavity, so it becomes useful to divide this body cavity into smaller regions or areas to make it easier to study.  There are two main methods of dividing the Abdominopelvic region, and both of them focus on the belly button or the umbilical region as an anchoring point.  The first method divides it into nine abdominopelvic regions, and the second method divides it into quadrants.

Nine Abdominopelvic regions:

Imagine this, you draw two horizontal lines across the region, one a little above the Umbilical region and one a bit below it.  Draw these two imaginary lines in such a way that the abdominopelvic region is more or less divided into three equal sized areas with the belly button right in the middle.  So you can imagine those three areas from where the diaphragm starts, which is more or less located where the heart is, and down to the bottom of the pelvis.  Move these imaginary lines around, until you have the naval more or less in the middle of three equally sized areas.

Now we are going to draw two imaginary vertical lines one on each side of the naval which should divide the region into more or less three equal sizes.  What you now have is something that looks like the grid lines of a game of tic-tac-toe, drawn over the abdominopelvic cavity.  This divides it into nine regions.  The central region is the Umbilical region.  Make sure that you have the Umbilical in the middle of the central square.  Now let’s describe these nine regions, using the Umbilical region as an anchor point for determining the other eight regions.  I am just going to describe the organs that are superior to the surface or the first organs that you will see once you look into these areas.  Organs like the kidneys and the spleen which are deeper to the surface I will leave out for now.

Umbilical Region

This is the centremost region which surrounds the Umbilicus or Navel.  In this region we have the small intestine and of course the navel.

Epigastric Region

This is the square that is located directly above or superior to the umbilical region.

Epi        = upon or above

Gastric = stomach

So the epigastric region is the region upon or above the stomach.  In this region you will find the lower part of the stomach, in the middle of the region.  At the bottom of the region, the transverse colon of the large intestine passes through.  On the right top corner of the region is the liver, and at the top of the region is the diaphragm.

Hypogastric or Pubic region

Hypo = below

This region is located below or inferior to the Umbilical region.  At the top of the region we find part of the small intestine.  About in the middle of the Hypogastric region on the right had side we find the appendix.  At the bottom of the region you will find the urinary bladder.

So now we have defined the row of block running from the top to the bottom of the abdominopelvic cavity.  All we have to do now is define the three outer regions on the right hand side, and the three outer regions on the left hand side.

Right Iliac or Inguinal region

Located lateral or to the side of the Hypogastric region, on the right hand side of the body.

Iliac = superior or the upper part of the hip bone.

So obviously we will find the hip bone, specifically the Iliac region on the right hand side of this region.  More to the upper left hand corner, but occupying a large portion of the region is the ascending colon of the large intesting.  You will also find the Cecum here, and in the top left corner a small amount of the small intestine.

Left Iliac or Inguinal region

Located lateral or to the side of the Hypogastric region, on the left hand side of the body.

Iliac = superior or the upper part of the hip bone.

So we will find the Iliac region of the hipbone, on the left hand side of this region.  More or less in the top middle of this region we find the descending colon of the large intestine, and below that the initial part of the sigmoid colon.  In the top right hand corner you will find a small amount of the small intestine.

Right Lumbar region

This is the region that lies lateral to the umbilical region, on the right hand side of the body.

Lumbus = loin.  In popular literature, loin cloths would probably be more descriptive of what they cover, if they were called Pubic cloths.  On the right hand side of the region you will find the Ascending colon, and the rest is made up of the small intestine.

Left Lumbar region

This is the region that lies lateral to the umbilical region, on the left hand side of the body.

Lumbus = loin.  On the left hand side of the region you will find the Descending colon, and the rest of the region is made up of the small intestine.

Right Hypochondriac region

This is the region that is lateral to the epigastric region on the right hand side.

Chondro = cartilage

To the top and above this region you will find a lot of cartilage associated with the rib structures.  Mainly in this region you will find the liver, covered by the ribs, and part of the large intestine and small intestine. 

Hypochondriacs are named after this region of the abdominopelvic region.  If you think about it, in this region you have the liver, and on the left hand side the spline, parts of the large intestine pass through, as well as parts of the small intestine.  The kidneys are close to this area, and also the lungs dip down into the top area of this region, sitting just above the diaphragm.  You have the ribs and on the left hand side the stomach.  So problems in the hypochondriac regions could point to many possible medical conditions.  The left and right hypochondriac regions are very central, as is the epigastric region.  In fact the perfect region for a Hypochondriac to indicate areas of discomfort in, so that is one way to potentially recognise them.  

Left Hypochondriac region

This is the region that is lateral to the epigastric region on the left hand side.

Mainly in this region you will find the stomach, covered by the ribs in this region, and part of the large intestine and small intestine.  Also deeper into the body you will find the spleen.

So that puts this large and complex cavity into perspective, and if you name one of the nine areas, you will immediately know exactly what part of the body you are dealing with, and what organs are associated with it etc.  However in common practice we find that medical personnel tend to make use of a simpler scheme to describe the conditions of the abdominopelvic region, the abdominopelvic quadrants.

Abdominopelvic Quadrants:

In this scheme the abdominopelvic region is divided into an upper and lower half by a transverse or horizontal line passing through the naval.  Another imaginary vertical line on the median sagittal plane passes through the naval or umbilicus at right angles to the first imaginary line.  This line divides the body into a left side and a right side.

So the quadrants are named: Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ), Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ), Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ), and Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ).  Notice how the naval or the umbilicus has been used to anchor the position of the quadrants.  I am not naming all of the organs in these areas, but just the ones that are the most obvious and closer to the surface.   

In the RUQ, we find the top half of the diaphragm, most of the liver, and the ribs covering the liver, part of the lower stomach, and part of the ascending colon, and the transverse colon, as well as some of the small intestines.

In the LUQ, we find most of the stomach, the left hand side of the diaphragm, the ribs, and part of the transverse colon, and the descending colon, as well as some of the small intestines.  The spleen would be located deeper into the body in this quadrant.

In the RLQ, we find a large portion of the small intestine, the ascending colon, as well as the appendix, cecum, and half of the urinary bladder.

In the LLQ, we find a large portion of the small intestine, the descending colon, sigmoid colon, and half of the urinary bladder.

Franz Devantier.

Membranes in the Ventral Body Cavity

Hi Readers,

My name is Franz Devantier, creator of this blog.  I am an Herbalist, who uses local and indigenous herbs when available, in preference to imported herbs.  Because Herbalists deal with living human beings, it is important to have an understanding of Anatomy and Physiology, as well as many other related subjects, as well as many other related subjects.

Membranes in the Ventral Body Cavity

All the walls of the ventral body cavity and the organs it contains are covered by an extremely thin, double layered membrane.  This membrane is generally called the “serous membrane”.  The part of the membrane lining the cavity walls is called the “parietal serosa”, the part of the membrane covering the organs is called the “visceral serosa”.  Actually it is one membrane the “serous membrane”, that folds double on itself, and covers both the walls of the Ventral cavity “parietal serosa” and the organs of the ventral cavity the “visceral serosa”.  Visceral comes from “Viscus”, which means an organ in a body cavity.  Parietal comes from “parie”, which means wall, and always refers or pertains to the walls of the cavity.  So the serous membrane is divided into the parietal serosa and the visceral serosa.

Think of the serous membrane like this.  Imaging that the serous membrane was a balloon that was only half inflated.  Now imaging that you can take you fist and push it right into the balloon.  Imagine that the part touching your fist corresponds to the visceral serosa, and the outer part that is separated by air from your fist corresponds to the parietal serosa.  However there are few differences, for example: the part of the balloon that represents the parietal serosa, and lines the walls of the cavity, is always fused to the cavity.  The space between the parietal serosa and the visceral serosa is not filled with air as in the balloon, but with a thin lubricating fluid called; “Serous Fluid”.  This fluid is secreted by both sides of the membrane.  There is a space between these two membranes, but in reality they lie very close to each other.

The slippery serous fluid allows the organs to slide without friction against the cavity walls, and one another, as the organs carry out their routine activities.  This serous fluid between the two sides of the serous membrane is very important for mobile organs like the heart and the churning stomach.  Think about how painful it would be to breath if this serous fluid were not between the two parts of the serous membrane to allow the movement between the lungs and the wall of the chest.     

Specific serous membranes are named after the cavity and organs for which they are associated.  The parietal pericardium lines the pericardial cavity.  The visceral pericardium covers the heart within that cavity.  So instead of parietal serosa and visceral serosa, we have parietal pericardium and visceral pericardium.  The pericardium is the cavity in which the heart is located.

Now let’s turn to the lungs.  The parietal pleura lines the wall of the thoracic cavity, and the visceral pleura covers the lungs.  Remember that both of these are part of the serous membrane, which is folded double, one part against the walls of the cavity, and the other part covering the organ in the cavity.

Now let’s turn to the abdominopelvic cavity.  The parietal peritoneum lines the walls of the abdominopelvic cavity.  The visceral peritoneum covers most of the organs within that cavity.

When the serous membrane becomes inflamed, also usually has a deficit of lubricating or serous fluid.  This condition can lead to excruciating pain, as the organs stick together and drag across one another.  For example pleurisy, which is inflammation of the pleurae, means the person will experience pain when breathing.  Peritonitis, which is an inflammation of the peritonea; in other words the person will experience excruciating stomach pain.

Of course there are other body cavities as well, in addition to the large closed body cavities.  There are also several smaller body cavities.  These body cavities are mainly located in the head, and open to the body exterior.

Oral and digestive cavities:

Certainly the digestive cavity is like one long pipe that starts at the mouth, and ends at the anus, where it opens to the exterior again.  The digestive cavity forms part of and is continuous with the digestive organs.  The Oral cavity, called the mouth, contains the teeth and the tongue.

Nasal cavity:

The nasal cavity is located within and posterior (behind) to the nose.  The nasal cavity forms part of the passages of the respiratory system.

Orbital cavities:

The orbital cavities or the orbits, house the eyes.  The eyes are presented on the anterior position of the head.

Middle ear cavities:

The middle ear cavities are carved into the temporal bone of the skull, and lie medial to the the eardrums.  These middle ear cavities contain tiny bones that transmit sound vibrations to the organ of hearing in the inner ears.

Synovial cavities:

These are joint cavities that are enclosed within fibrous capsules that surround the freely movable joints of the body, such as the elbow and knee joints.  Similar to the serous membranes of the ventral body cavity, membranes lining the synovial cavities secrete a lubricating fluid that reduces friction as the bones in the joint move across each other.  Try to imagine a synovial cavity like this: imagine a soccer ball that has been deflated and squashed flat.  Now inside the ball we find the membranes lining the synovial cavity, and between the two surfaces or membranes we get the lubricating fluid.  Actually it is one continuous membrane, not two membranes.  Also a Synovial cavity is a lot smaller than a flattened soccer ball, and is not perfectly round.  I think that I might need to draw pictures to make these things easier to assimilate.   

Franz Devantier.

Medical Imaging: Illuminating the body part 2

Hi,

My name is Franz Devantier, creator of this blog.  I am an Herbalist, who uses local and indigenous herbs when available, in preference to imported herbs.  Because Herbalists deal with living human beings, it is important to have an understanding of Anatomy and Physiology, as well as many other related subjects, such as How to grow old gracefully with Stem Cell Enhancers.

Medical Imaging: Illuminating the body part 2

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

This is a technique with a very big appeal, mainly because it produces high-contrast images of our soft tissues.  This is an area where X rays and CT scans are weak. As it was designed, MRI maps the hydrogen element in our body.  Most of the Hydrogen is in water.  The MRI technique subjects the body to magnetic fields that are up to 60,000 times stronger than that of the earth’s magnetic field.  These huge magnetic fields are used to glean information from the body’s molecules.

 The patient lies in a chamber that is formed within a gigantic magnet.  Hydrogen molecules spin like tops in in this magnetic field, and their energy is enhanced by radio waves.  At the point where the Radio Waves are turned off, the energy released is translated into a visual image.

MRI tends to distinguish body tissues from each other on the basis of the difference in water content.  An MRI can therefor distinguish between the fatty white matter in the brain and the more watery grey matter of the brain.  This technique can display the delicate nerve fibres in the spinal cord.

Dense structures don’t show up at all in MRI, therefore MRI can easily look inside the skull and vertebral column.  MRI is also an excellent tool for detecting tumors and degenerative diseases of various kinds.  For example Multiple Sclerosis Plaques do not show up well in CT scans, however they are clear and bright in MRI scans.

MRI can also be used to tune or focus on metabolic reactions, for example processes that generate energy-rich ATP molecules.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)

MRS is a newer variation of MRI.  MRS can map the distribution of elements other than hydrogen.  MRS can be used to reveal more detail on how disease changes the body chemistry.

Advances in computer technology are allowing MRI scans to be displayed in three dimensions.  This technology is very useful when combined to guide laser surgery.  In 1992 MRI technology took a leap forward with the development of:

Functional MRI:   

Functional MRI allows the tracking of blood flow into the brain in real time.  Up to the development of Functional MRI; matching thoughts, deeds, and disease to corresponding brain activity, could have only been achieved with PET technology.  Functional MRI does not require injections of tracer elements, it provides a safer alternative to these kinds of studies.

Despite the many advantages of MRI, there are some problems as well.  MRI can “suck” metal objects such as implanted pace-makers and loose tooth fillings, through and from the body.  There is as yet no convincing evidence that such strong magnetic fields can be used without risks to the human body.  Currently Medical science does consider MRI to be safe.

The images produced By MRI, and enhanced by computers are stunning and accurate.  They are artificially enhanced and coloured to produce clarity.  So the images are several steps removed from a direct visual image, they remain accurate and useful.

CT and PET scans account for about 25% of imaging.  Ultrasonography, because of its safely and relative low cost, has become one of the most widespread techniques used.  MRI scans also form a large percentage of the medical scan done.  However the X rays remain the workhorse of diagnostic imaging techniques.  X-Rays could still be about half of the medical scans done.  

Franz Devantier,

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