anatomical terms of relationships and comparison

  1. superior (cranial)
    • closer to the head
    • Ex: the lungs are superior to the stomach
  2. inferior (caudal)
    • closer to the feet
    • ex: the liver is inferior to the heart
  3. anterior (ventral)
    • closer to the front
    • ex: the trachea is anterior to the esophagus
  4. posterior (dorsal)
    • closer to the back
    • ex: the vertebral column is posterior to the heart
  5. medial
    • closer to the midline
    • ex: the nose is medial to the cheek
  6. lateral
    • farther from the midline
    • ex: the spleen is lateral to the pancreas
  7. intermediate
    • between a more medial and more lateral structure
    • ex: the clavicle is intermediate to the sternum and the shoulders
  8. proximal
    • (pertaining to limbs) closer to the trunk
    • ex: the shoulder is proximal to the elbow
  9. distal
    • (pertaining to the limb) farther from the trunk
    • Ex: the wrist is distal to the elbow
  10. superficial (external)
    • closer to or on the surface
    • ex: the skin is superficial to the skeletal muscles
  11. deep (internal)
    • farther from the surface
    • ex: the bones are deep in the skin
  12. parietal
    • pertaining to the wall of a body cavity
    • ex: the membrane lining the pleural cavity is the parietal pleura
  13. visceral
    • pertaining to an organ
    • ex: the membrane that covers the surface of the lungs i the visceral pleura
  14. ipsilateral
    • on the same side of the body
    • ex: the right lung is ipsilateral to the gallbladder
  15. contralateral
    • on the opposite side of the body
    • ex: the left arm is contralateral to the right leg
Author
saeleemy
ID
22744
Card Set
anatomical terms of relationships and comparison
Description
anatomical terms of relationships of the human body
Updated