9 and 4 abdominal anatomical regions

Summary

This video explains how to divide the abdomen into regions to describe anatomical locations. It covers two methods: the four-quadrant system, dividing the abdomen into right/left upper and lower quadrants, and the nine-region method, which uses additional lines and landmarks like the midclavicular lines, subcostal, and trans-tubercular planes. Each region's name, such as epigastric or hypochondriac, is explained with a brief history of terms like 'hypochondriac.' This knowledge helps describe organ locations, pain, or abnormalities accurately.

Takeaways

• 😀 The abdomen can be divided into four quadrants or nine regions for anatomical reference.
• 📏 The four quadrants are formed by two lines: the median plane and the transumbilical plane, intersecting at the umbilicus.
• 🏥 The four quadrants are the right upper quadrant, left upper quadrant, right lower quadrant, and left lower quadrant.
• ✂️ The nine-region division is more detailed, using two mid-clavicular lines, the subcostal plane, and the trans-tubercular plane.
• 📍 The central region is called the umbilical region, located at the belly button.
• 🍽️ Above the umbilical region is the epigastric region, while below it is the hypogastric (or pubic) region.
• 🔍 The lateral regions are called the left and right lumbar (or flank) regions, located on either side of the umbilical region.
• 🏋️‍♂️ The hypochondriac regions are located on either side of the epigastrium, referring to the area below the rib cartilage.
• ⚕️ The term 'hypochondriac' originates from ancient medical theories linking organs in the hypochondriac region to melancholy and anxiety.
• 🧭 Understanding these regions helps medical professionals accurately describe the location of pain, lumps, or organs within the abdomen.

Q & A

What is the purpose of dividing the abdomen into quadrants and regions?

The purpose is to describe anatomical locations accurately, such as where an organ, lump, or pain is located, by using standard surface anatomy landmarks and imaginary lines to divide the body.

How do you divide the abdomen into four quadrants?

To divide the abdomen into four quadrants, you create two lines: a vertical line through the midline (median plane) and a horizontal line at the level of the umbilicus (transumbilical plane). This creates the right upper, right lower, left upper, and left lower quadrants.

What are the key organs found in the right upper and right lower quadrants?

In the right upper quadrant, the liver is primarily located. In the right lower quadrant, you can find the appendix and the cecum.

What is the midclavicular line, and how is it used in dividing the abdomen into nine regions?

The midclavicular line is drawn from the midpoint of the clavicle downwards. Two midclavicular lines (one on each side) are used along with two transverse planes to divide the abdomen into nine regions.

What is the difference between the subcostal plane and the transpyloric plane?

The subcostal plane is a horizontal line at the lowest point of the ribcage, while the transpyloric plane is a line halfway between the top of the manubrium and the superior part of the pubis. Both planes are used as anatomical landmarks, but the subcostal plane is more commonly used in abdominal region division.

What are the names of the three central regions in the nine-region division of the abdomen?

The three central regions are the epigastric region (superior to the umbilicus), the umbilical region (center), and the hypogastric region (inferior to the umbilicus, also known as the pubic or suprapubic region).

What is the significance of the hypochondriac regions in relation to the modern term 'hypochondriac'?

The hypochondriac regions are located below the rib cartilages. Historically, these regions were associated with the organs believed to release vapors causing melancholy and health concerns, which is how the term 'hypochondriac' came to describe people overly concerned with their health.

What is the anatomical definition of the lumbar regions?

The lumbar regions, also called the flanks, are located on either side of the umbilical region and refer to the areas between the ribs and the pelvis. They are named after the lumbar spine, which lies in this region.

How do the iliac regions relate to the inguinal regions in anatomical terminology?

The iliac regions, located on either side of the hypogastric region, are also referred to as the inguinal regions. They are named after the iliac bones and the inguinal (groin) area.

Why is it important to use standardized anatomical terminology when discussing body regions?

Using standardized anatomical terminology ensures clear and consistent communication between medical professionals, allowing accurate descriptions of locations on the body for diagnosis, treatment, and understanding of medical conditions.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Abdomen Terminology and Quadrants

This paragraph introduces the purpose of dividing the abdomen using anatomical landmarks. It explains how to accurately describe the location of organs, lumps, or pain using surface anatomy. The method is illustrated through the division of the abdomen into four quadrants by drawing imaginary lines: the median plane and the trans-umbilical plane. The quadrants are named relative to the patient’s body: right upper, right lower, left upper, and left lower quadrants. The liver is largely in the right upper quadrant, while the appendix is in the right lower quadrant.

05:02

🔢 Dividing the Abdomen into Nine Regions

This section explains how to divide the abdomen into nine regions using more detailed anatomical references. The process begins with the mid-clavicular lines drawn from the midpoint of the clavicles down the body. Then, horizontal lines are drawn: the subcostal plane at the lowest part of the rib cage and the trans-tubercular plane across the iliac tubercles. The nine regions are then described: the central umbilical region, epigastric region above it, and hypogastric region below it. Surrounding regions include the left and right iliac (inguinal) regions, lumbar (flank) regions, and hypochondriac regions.

10:03

🧠 Historical Origins of 'Hypochondriac'

This paragraph addresses the modern and historical meanings of the term 'hypochondriac.' While today it refers to someone excessively worried about their health, its origins come from ancient medicine. Organs in the hypochondriac region, particularly the liver, were once thought to release vapors that caused melancholy and worry. Thus, those overly concerned with their health were labeled 'hypochondriacs.' The paragraph concludes by reinforcing the value of anatomical terminology for accurately describing locations of pain or organs.

Keywords

💡Quadrants

The abdomen is divided into four quadrants by two imaginary lines: one running vertically (the median plane) and one horizontally (the transumbilical plane). These quadrants help medical professionals locate organs or describe pain. For example, the liver is in the right upper quadrant, while the appendix is in the right lower quadrant.

💡Regions

In addition to the four quadrants, the abdomen can also be divided into nine regions using additional anatomical lines. These regions provide a more specific way to describe areas of the abdomen, allowing for precise localization of pain, lumps, or organs.

💡Midclavicular Line

This line is drawn vertically from the midpoint of each clavicle down the body. It is used as one of the vertical lines when dividing the abdomen into the nine regions. The midclavicular line helps mark the lateral boundaries of the regions.

💡Subcostal Plane

A horizontal line drawn across the body at the level of the 10th rib's cartilage. It is one of the dividing lines used to create the nine abdominal regions. This plane roughly corresponds to the upper limit of the lumbar regions.

💡Trans-tubercular Plane

A horizontal line drawn across the body at the level of the iliac tubercles. It is another key plane used to divide the abdomen into nine regions. The trans-tubercular plane marks the lower boundary of the lumbar regions and is at the level of the L5 vertebra.

💡Epigastric Region

Located above the umbilical region, the epigastric region is one of the nine regions of the abdomen. This area is situated upon the stomach and can be used to describe pain or identify organs in the upper central part of the abdomen, such as part of the liver and stomach.

💡Hypochondriac Regions

These are the upper left and right regions of the abdomen, located on either side of the epigastric region, below the ribs. The term 'hypochondriac' historically relates to the belief that melancholy originated from the organs in this area, such as the liver. Today, these regions are used to describe areas under the ribcage.

💡Umbilical Region

The central region of the nine regions, surrounding the umbilicus (navel). This region is used to locate central abdominal structures like parts of the intestines. It is a key reference point for both quadrant and region-based anatomical descriptions.

💡Lumbar Regions

The left and right lumbar (or flank) regions are located on either side of the umbilical region, between the ribs and pelvis. These regions include parts of the large intestine and kidneys, making them important in clinical assessments of pain or organ location.

💡Hypogastric Region

Located below the umbilical region and also known as the suprapubic or pubic region. The hypogastric region encompasses the lower central part of the abdomen and is associated with structures like the bladder and intestines. It’s crucial for identifying issues in the lower abdomen.

Highlights

The abdomen can be divided into four quadrants or nine regions for anatomical accuracy.

To divide the abdomen into four quadrants, use two imaginary lines: a vertical median plane and a horizontal transumbilical plane.

The four quadrants are named based on the patient’s orientation: right upper quadrant (RUQ), right lower quadrant (RLQ), left upper quadrant (LUQ), and left lower quadrant (LLQ).

The nine-region method involves additional anatomical landmarks like the midclavicular lines, subcostal plane, and the trans-tubercular or interspinous plane.

The midclavicular lines are drawn inferiorly from the midpoint of the clavicles on both sides.

The subcostal plane is a horizontal line drawn at the lowest point of the ribcage.

The trans-tubercular plane is drawn across the iliac tubercles at the level of the L5 vertebra.

The nine regions include the epigastric, umbilical, hypogastric, and pubic regions in the middle, and the left and right hypochondriac, lumbar, and iliac regions on the sides.

The epigastric region is located above the umbilical region and refers to the area above the stomach.

The hypogastric or pubic region is below the umbilical region, superior to the pubic bone.

The iliac or inguinal regions lie on either side of the hypogastric region and refer to the iliac bone or groin.

The lumbar regions, also called flanks, are on either side of the umbilical region.

The hypochondriac regions are found below the rib cartilages, on either side of the epigastrium.

The term 'hypochondriac' originally referred to a person overly concerned with their health, related to beliefs about vapors from organs in the hypochondriac region causing melancholy.

The importance of these divisions is to accurately describe pain, lumps, or organ locations using shared anatomical terminology.

Transcripts

hi okay

some terminology today and some

introductory anatomy we're gonna divide

the abdomen up

two different ways

um

we're gonna describe the four quadrants

and we're gonna describe the nine

regions

[Music]

what we want to be able to do

is to describe to one another

accurately

anatomically

where something is an organ

a lump

pain felt by somebody

so

we take some surface anatomy landmarks

we use them to make some imaginary lines

some sections through the body

and by doing that we can then describe

this is in the

region and we all know where that region

is because we've all used a similar

method for dividing up the body all

right that's our aim as usual the

anatomy it's clearly

describing to somebody else where

something is we can easily get modeled

so we use some set terminology if you've

watched my videos before you know how i

struggled with noise i thought if i get

in early today i can avoid the kids

i got lawnmowers instead

all right first one first easiest one

first

the four

quadrants here comes the lawnmower so

here's the abdomen here's the thorax

roughly speaking you can see the ribcage

here you can see the muscles

imagine we've got skin on here

and you can still do this same method so

we want to divide the abdomen up into

four quadrants the first thing we do is

we take the midline

and we imagine the median plane so we're

cutting the body in half in this

direction the median plane

that's one line then we find the

umbilicus

and we take another section another

slice we have a transverse or an axial

section

at the level of the umbilicus this is

the trans umbilical plane and now by

creating those two lines

we have divided the abdomen up into four

quarters one two three four and those

quarters are sensibly named remember

that when we're talking about the side

we're always talking about the patient

side so this is the right upper quadrant

and the right lower quadrant and the

left upper quadrant and the left lower

quadrant

that's the quadrant method

easy peasy

so we can say that the liver is largely

in the right upper quadrant

we find the appendix and the cecum in

the right lower quadrant and so on and

so on

all right

um but the other method is to divide

this up into nine parts

we need a little bit more anatomy to

divide up into nine parts okay first one

then

this bone and this bone

these are the clavicles i know we're a

long way away from the abdomen but these

are the clavicles so

these are either ends of a clavicle if

we go halfway between the two ends we

are

mid clavicle now if we cut another

section so imagine sectioning the body

or drawing a line

on this plane

if we take this point and continue

inferiorly we draw a mid curvicular mid

clavicular line and we do that on

both sides we have two mid clavicular

lines you can go down as far as you like

that's the first section

next

you see the uh the rib cage here

there's some floating ribs back there

they're off doing other things

but here the lowest part of the rib cage

this is cartilage

here's the rib here's the cartilage this

is the tenth rib now we we're gonna do

a horizontal line or a transverse plane

at the lowest point of the rib cage

where the cartilage is

this is the

subcostal plane

so this is our next division

some people will use a transpyloric

plane

um

pyloric pylorus so the pylorus is part

of the stomach so that's what it's

referring to

but the transpyloric plane well to find

that

you take

the top of the manubrium so the superior

part of the manubrium this is the

jugular notch here so we've got this

point here and then we go all the way

down to the pubis bone and we have the

superior part of the pubis bone and then

we pick a point halfway between the two

and that is the transpyloric plane it's

very very close it's very very similar

if you're if you're led down

that's about the level of the the

pylorus that's the transpyloric plane so

you might hear subcostal plane or

transpyloric plane we're going to use

the subcostal plane it makes a little

bit more sense later so that's our first

division which we can do in two

different ways

okay the next

transverse section we're going to take

or the next horizontal line we're going

to draw

is so here's the pelvis here

these are the iliac bones the wings of

the ilium on either side

and we're going to get

the iliac tubercles and we're going to

draw a line across them

and that will be the

trans-tubercular plane also known as the

inter-tubercular plane

um

so you can see that that's at about the

level of the l5 vertebra here

now again some people do it differently

um

if we follow the iliac crest anteriorly

this pointy sticky 80 bit here

this is the

anterior superior iliac spine

abbreviated to asis or asus some people

draw a line across here

and that gets called an interspinous

plane

it's close it's just a little bit lower

so you can see how there's a little bit

of

roughness to this whole system but we're

going to use the subcostal plane the

trans-tubercular plane and the two

mid-clavicular lines and that's us

dividing our abdomen up into nine

regions each of those regions has a name

now right in the middle here

we find

we find in the umbilicus so the central

region of the nine regions is called the

umbilical region that's a nice one right

now if the central part is called the

umbilical region i want you to imagine

when you're trying to remember the names

of these parts i want you to imagine

i know i can't do this very well

i wanted to imagine a nice big belly

right a nice big belly sticking out

because gaster

means stomach

and in this case we're not thinking

stomach stomach as in the actual organ

up here we're thinking

nice big stomach right now

yeah stomach because

this region up here so the region

superior to the umbilicus is the

epigastrium

or the epigastric region epi means a

pond so if you imagine that sticky 80

belly this region is upon the gaster

upon the

stomach upon the bellies you have the

epigastrium the umbilicus

or the umbilical region and then

inferiorly if you have underneath that

belly we have the

hypogastrium or the hypogastric region

now that region is also superior to the

pubis bone or pubic bone so it gets

called the the pubic region or sometimes

the suprapubic region so we have the

epigastric

umbilical

and hypogastric hypobelone

regions in the midline all right

down here

on either side

of the um

the hypogastric region down here on

either side

um those regions are called the

left and right iliac regions

or the left and right

inguinal regions

this is the iliac bone

so it can get its name from there

inguine refers to the groin

so these are inguinal regions or iliac

regions

now the two lateral regions in the

middle

they get called the lumbar region so

lumber comes from a word meaning

a bit between the ribs

the ribs and the pelvis right the lumbar

the loin

so we have the left and right lumbar

regions which also get called the left

and right

flank so the left flank and the right

flank on either side

two regions left

now the last two regions

either side of the epigastrium get

called the hypochondrium

or the

hypochondriac regions we have the left

hypochondriac and the right

hypochondriac

hypo means below

chondral refers to the cartilages of the

ribs and i know they are they're not

down here they're actually up here

so hypochondriac

is making a reference to the cartilages

and the stuff that's deeper to them the

stuff that's below them if that makes

sense so hypochondria

or hypochondriac regions and that's it

those are the

nine regions of the abdomen now you

might be thinking hypochondriac that's a

term we use for something else yes

um

in modern times that's become a little

bit of a derogatory term a

hypochondriac defined as someone who

you know thinks there's something wrong

with them when maybe there isn't o is

overly concerned with their health but

they are otherwise healthy

how are the two things related if you

look at the word hypochondriac

on its own knowing our greek and latin

origins hypochondriac has got nothing to

do with worrying about your health

but from

about 400 years ago

when medicine was still concerned with

the four humors

and vapors and that sort of thing the

organs around here the organs deep to

the ribs so the organs in the

hypochondriac regions the liver and what

have you

were blamed for releasing the vapors

associated with melancholy and sadness

and worry and that sort of thing so

somebody who was overly concerned with

their health was said to be

a hypochondriac related to this region

and those organs we know better now

there you go then i promised you some

terminology

and terminology you have

that is how we can describe to one

another

regions within the abdomen and where

somebody might be

sensing some pain where we might have

found a lump a mass a tumor where we

might find an organ so i can describe to

you where we might find different organs

and what have you so those are the terms

remember the surface anatomy landmarks

if you can

palpate them on yourself or on somebody

else

um

and imagine those those either those

four lines or those nine lines and the

names of the regions all right maybe

that wasn't so babbling as i thought it

was going to be

see you next week

[Music]