3-5.
BODY PART TERMINOLOGY
a. Anterior (Ventral). Body part terms are used when describing the location of
one anatomical structure (body part) in relation to another. Anterior or ventral refers to
the front or forward half of the body or organ (figure 3-6). (It might be helpful to note
that the prefix "antero-" is Latin for "front" and the prefix "venti-" is Latin for "abdomen.")
For example, the anterior lingual gland refers to a certain category of gland located near
the tip of the tongue.
anterior (ventral): referring to the front part of the body or organ.
Figure 3-6. The anterior plane of the body.
b. Posterior (Dorsal). Posterior or dorsal refers to the back part of the body or
the back part of an organ (figure 3-7). The terms, posterior or dorsal, are also used
when referring to the back part of the foot or hand, as in the dorsoplantar foot. (It might
help to take note that the term "posterius" is Latin for "coming after" and the term
"dorsum" is Latin for "back.") A dorsoplantar foot is a view of the back part of the foot.
posterior (dorsal): referring to the back part of the body or organ.
NOTE:
Figure 3-8 shows AP (anterior to posterior) and PA (posterior to anterior)
MD0961
3-6
Previous Page
