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| Sagittal plane | |
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| Diagram showing sagittal, coronal and transverse planes. | |
| Latin | plana sagittalia |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | p_22/12644614 |
A sagittal plane of the human body is an imaginary plane that travels from the top to the bottom of the body, dividing it into left and right portions.
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Examples
Examples include:
- The median plane, which is the sagittal plane running through the midline. It cuts the body into two halves of equal proportion (assuming bilateral symmetry) is called the median plane.[1] It divides the body into left and right portions of the same size, passing through midline structures such as the navel and spine. It is one of the lines defining the right upper quadrant of the human abdomen.
- In general, planes that are parallel to the sagittal plane, but do not pass through the midline, are known as parasagittal.[2]
- The midclavicular line crosses through the clavicle.
- Other sagittal lines/planes include the "lateral sternal" and "parasternal".[3]
Terminology
The term is derived from the Latin word Sagitta, meaning "arrow". An image of an arrow piercing a body and passing from front (anterior) to back (posterior) would demonstrate the derivation of the term.
Sagittal Axis: Sagittal axis is the axis perpendicular to the sagittal plane, i.e. the sagittal axis lies in the frontal plane. Abduction and adduction are terms for movements of limbs relative to the frontal plane.
Frontal Axis: Frontal axis is the axis perpendicular to the frontal plane, i.e. the frontal axis lies in the sagittal plane. Extension and flexion is the movement of limb in sagittal plane.
Anatomy
From a broader perspective, it is one of the planes of the body used to describe the location of body parts in relation to each other. The other reference planes used in anatomy are:
- The coronal (or frontal) plane divides the body into dorsal and ventral (back and front) portions.
- A transverse (or horizontal) plane divides the body into cranial and caudal (top and bottom) portions.
See also
References
- ^ p_22/12644566 at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
- ^ p_22/12644599 at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
- ^ Yokochi, Chihiro; Rohen, Johannes W.. Color Atlas of Anatomy: A Photographic Study of the Human Body. Hagerstown, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006. 217 p.. ISBN 0-7817-9013-1.
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- This page was last modified on 3 September 2008, at 14:09.
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