Abdominal Quadrant Diagram

Two common methods of dividing the abdomen are popular. The quadrant system is the older of the two, dividing the abdomen with a medial sagittal plane and a transverse plane centered at the umbilicus. From the body's own perspective, this system creates four quadrants: the right upper quadrant or Quadrant One; the left upper quadrant or Quadrant Two; the right lower quadrant or Quadrant Three; .

An abdominal quadrant diagram is a diagram of the four quadrants that the abdomen is split into for diagnostic purposes. Because of the number of important organs in the abdomen, it is convenient to split the abdomen into four quadrants and assign organs to a quadrant based on their location. These quadrants are defined by the median (also called "midsagittal"') and transverse planes that cross at the belly button.The names for the quadrants are very straightforward, though it is important to remember that the left/right divisions are based not on the perspective of someone looking at the abdomen from the front but rather from the patient's own perspective. The upper left area is called the Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ), the lower left is called the Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ), upper right is the Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ) and the lower right is called the Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ). Each quadrant has certain organs in it, though a number of the larger organs, such as the small and large intestines, cross between quadrants. A diagram of the quadrants can be found at: http://health.allrefer.com/pictures-images/abdominal-quadrants.html.In the event of injury or illness that affects the abdomen, these quadrants provide a map of sorts for locating problems. For example, an EMT may ask a patient the location of their abdominal pain, then make a note for the hospital that reads "Pain in LUQ and LLQ,"' or "Swelling in RLQ."' This gives hospital personnel an idea of where the pain is and helps in getting the patient rapid and accurate treatment.Interestingly, there is an alternative mapping system for the abdomen. This alternative system splits the abdomen into nine regions instead of four quadrants. These are the Right and Left Hypochondriac Regions, the Right and Left Lumbar Regions, the Right and Left Iliac Regions, the Epigastric Region, the Umbilical Region, and the Hypogastric Region. An example of this mapping system can be found at: http://www.juniordentist.com/abdominal-regions.html.