The image above shows the quadrants of the abdominal cavity. If you look close, you will find the little extension off the colon called the appendix in the right lower quadrant. Pressure in this area that elicits severe pain is often a sign of inflammation in the appendix.

The images above show the “Cavities” of the body. The image on the left is a frontal view, and the image on the right is a mid-sagittal section.

This image shows the possible ways that a “plane” could section the body. The planes are like plexiglass that go through the body in three different orientations. It is a good idea to practice naming the plane that sections a body or body part.

Example: This picture below shows a skull that has been sectioned by the sagittal plane. The heart has been sectioned by the frontal or coronal plane.

Sometimes, an organ can be sectioned, and one cannot tell which plane sectioned the organ just by looking at the sectioned image. For example, when an organ wraps around and around in the body, it is not obvious where a single section came from in relation to the body as a whole. This is true with blood vessels and intestines. In these cases, the sections are named as being transverse, longitudinal, or oblique. The image below is an example.