Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The abdomen has three layers skin, superficial fascia and muscle. The abdomen
houses important organs in the body. It is an essential area of study for doctors when
they are assessing pain and illness in patients. The body of the abdomen when
viewed from a frontal view is divided into nine imaginary planes, in both vertical and
horizontal directions.
The nine regions of the abdomen can help determine specific ailments and are of
clinical importance. This article will explain the 9 regions of abdomen, the organs in
them as well as the 4 quadrants of abdomen.
9 Regions of Abdomen
Three horizontal lines and two vertical lines create nine regions of the abdomen.
Below is an image of the regions of the abdomen, which are formed within these
planes. Hypo refers to below, epi refers to above, chond refers to the cartilage
of the rib and gast is in reference to the stomach.
9 Regions of Abdomen
The above lines intersect and divide the abdomen into 9 regions:
Umbilical region
Hypogastric region
Organs
Regions
Right
Hypochondriu
m
Left
Hypochondriu
m
Epigastrium
Right Lumber
Region
Left Lumber
Region
Umbilical
Region
Right Iliac
Fossa
Appendix, Cecum
Left Iliac
Fossa
Hypogastrium
Below is a reference video, which explains the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain
according to the abdominal region. This video explains the quadrants of the abdomen.
It also discusses which issues can occur in each of the quadrants and regions of the
abdomen.
4 Quadrants of Abdomen
Dividing the abdomen into various sections will help doctors determine what the cause
of the illness is. The abdomen can also be divided into four quadrants:
Abdomen
Description
Quadrants
Right Upper
Quadrant
(RUQ)
Right Lower
Quadrant
(RLQ)
Left Lower
Quadrant
(LLQ)