Abdominopelvic Quadrants, Regions, and Body Cavities

Abdominopelvic Regions

Right Hypochondriac, Epigastric, Left Hypochondriac, Right Lumbar, Umbilical, Left Lumbar, Right Inguinal, Hypogastric (pubic), Left Inguinal

Abdominopelvic Quadrants

Right Upper Quadrant, Right Lower Quadrant, Left Upper Quadrant, Left Lower Quadrant

Dorsal Cavity

a continuous cavity located on the dorsal side of the body. It houses the organs of the upper central nervous system, including the brain and the spinal cord. The meninges is a multi-layered membrane within the dorsal cavity that envelops and protects the brain and spinal cord. Made up of the cranial and vertebral cavities.

Left Lumbar

consists of the descending colon, the left kidney, and part of the spleen.

Right Lumbar

consists of the gallbladder, the left kidney, part of the liver, and the ascending colon.

Left Inguinal

contains part of the descending colon, the sigmoid colon, and the right illiac fossa. (Aka Iliac Region)

Left Hypochondriac

contains part of the spleen, the left kidney, part of the stomach, the pancreas, and parts of the colon.

Right Inguinal

contains the appendix, cecum, and the right iliac fossa. Pain in this area is generally associated with appendicitis. (Aka Iliac Region)

Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ)

contains the cecum, appendix, part of the small intestines, the right half of the female reproductive system, and the right ureter. Pain in this region is most commonly associated with appendicitis.

Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ)

contains the left portion of the liver, part of the stomach, the pancreas, left kidney, spleen, portions of the transverse and descending colon, and parts of the small intestine. Pain in this region is associated with malrotation of the intestine and colon.

Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ)

contains the majority of the small intestine, some of the large intestine, the left half of the female reproductive system, and the left ureter. Pain in this region is generally associated with colitis (inflammation of the large intestine) as well as pelvic inflammatory disease and ovarian cysts in females.

Epigastric

contains the majority of the stomach, part of the liver, part of the pancreas, part of the duodenum, part of the spleen, and the adrenal glands. This region pushes out when the diaphragm contracts during breathing.

Hypogastric

contains the organs around the pubic bone. These include bladder, part of the sigmoid colon, the anus, and many organs of the reproductive system, such as the uterus and ovaries in females and the prostate in males.

Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ)

contains the right portion of the liver, the gallbladder, right kidney, a small portion of the stomach, the duodenum, the head of the pancreas, portions of the ascending and transverse colon, and parts of small intestine. Pain in this region is associated with infection and inflammation in the gallbladder and liver or peptic ulcers in the stomach.

Right Hypochondriac

contains the right portion of the liver, the gallbladder, the right kidney, and parts of the small intestine.

Umbilical

contains the umbilicus (navel), and many parts of the small intestine, such as part of the duodenum, the jejunum, and the illeum. It also contains the transverse colon (the section between the ascending and descending colons) and the bottom portions of both the left and right kidney.

Visceral Peritoneum

covers the external surfaces of most abdominal organs, including the intestinal tract.

Thoracic Cavity

is the anterior ventral body cavity found within the rib cage in the torso. It houses the primary organs of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, such as the heart and lungs, but also includes organs from other systems, such as the esophagus and the thymus gland. This cavity is lined by two types of mesothelium, a type of membrane tissue that lines the ventral cavity: the pleura lining of the lungs, and the pericadium lining of the heart.

Cranial Cavity

the anterior portion of the dorsal cavity consisting of the space inside the skull. This cavity contains the brain, the meninges of the brain, and cerebrospinal fluid.

Visceral Pleura

the delicate serous membrane that covers the surface of each lung

Visceral Pericardium

the inner layer of the serous pericardium which is in contact with the heart and the roots of the great vessels.

Ventral Cavity

the interior space in the front of the body, contains many different organ systems. The organs within the ventral cavity are also called viscera. This cavity has anterior and posterior portions divided by the diaphragm, a sheet of skeletal muscle found beneath the lungs. Made up of both thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities.

Parietal Pleura

the outer serous membrane attached to the inner surface of the thoracic cavity.

Parietal Pericardium

the parietal layer of the serious pericardium. In contact with the fibrous pericardium.

Parietal Peritoneum

the portion that lines the abdominal and pelvic cavities

Vertebral Cavity

the posterior portion of the dorsal cavity and contains the structures within the vertebral column. These include the spinal cord, the meninges of the spinal cord, and the fluid-filled spaces between them. This is the most narrow of all body cavities, sometimes described as threadlike

Abdominopelvic Cavity

the posterior ventral body cavity found beneath the thoracic cavity and diaphragm. It is generally divided into the abdominal and pelvic cavities. This cavity is not contained within bone and houses many organs of the digestive and renal systems, as well as some organs of the endocrine system, such as the adrenal glands. The pelvic cavity is contained within the pelvis and houses the bladder and reproductive system. This cavity is lined by a type of mesothelium called the peritoneum.