this course is designed for nursing students at a health science college

1. Abdominopelvic quadrants and
regions
Prepared by:
Ephrem F. (MSc.)

2. Abdominopelvic quadrants and
regions
• It is important to know the abdomen's
anatomical regions and quadrants to
correlate the pain to the organs contained
in each area.
• Thus, the abdominopelvic region is
clinically divided into quadrants and
regions.
• Each region and quadrant has different
structures within it.

3. Subdivisions of abdominal cavity:
regions
• Clinicians subdivide the abdominal cavity into 9
regions to locate abdominal organs or painsites
• Delineated by 4 planes
• Two horizontal
Subcostal plane: passing through the inferior
borderof the 10th costal cartilage.
Trans tubercular plane: passing throughiliac
tubercles and body of L5vertebra
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4. • Two vertical
Midclavicular planes: passing from midpointsof
clavicles to mid-inguinalpoints

6. Contents of each regions
Epigastric region
• Liver (left lobe), stomach, pancreas, duodenum,
and adrenal glands.
Umbilical region:
• Duodenum, small intestine, and transverse
colon.

7. Hypogastric region:
• Bladder, rectum, sigmoid colon, small intestine,
uterus (in females), fallopian tubes (in females),
ovary (in females), prostate gland (in males),
and seminal vesicles (in males).

8. Right hypochondriac region:
• Liver, right kidney, duodenum, large intestine
(right colic flexure), and gall bladder.
• Left hypochondriac region:
• Spleen, the tip of the liver, left kidney, stomach,
small intestine (jejunum), large intestine (left
colic flexure), and tail of the pancreas.

9. • Right lumbar region:
• Ascending colon, right kidney, and small
intestine.
• Right lumbar region
• Descending colon, left kidney, and small
intestine.

10. • Right iliac region:
• Cecum, appendix, ascending colon, and small
intestine.
• Left iliac region:
• Sigmoid colon, descending colon, and small
intestine.

11. Subdivisions of abdominal cavity: quadrants
 For general clinical descriptions, clinicians
use 4 quadrants defined by 2 planes
Transumbilical plane: passing through
umbilicus and disc between L3 and L4vertebrae
Median plane: longitudinal plane dividingthe
body into right and left halves
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13. Contents of each quadrant
• Right upper quadrant:
• Liver, gall blader, stomach, duodenum, pancreas,
right kidney, right suprarenal (adrenal) gland,
ascending colon, transverse colon, and small
intestine.

14. • Left upper quadrant:
• Spleen, liver, pancreas, stomach, left kidney, left
suprarenal (adrenal) gland, transverse colon,
descending colon, and small intestine.

15. • Right lower quadrant:
• Cecum, appendix, ascending colon, right ureter,
small intestine, right half of the urinary bladder
right ductus deferens (in males), right half of the
female reproductive organs (in females).

16. • Left lower quadrant:
• Sigmoid colon, descending colon, left ureter, left
half of the urinary bladder, left ductus deferens
(in males), and left half of the female
reproductive organs (in females).

17. Thank you!