2 Sectioning Planes
Sectioning Planes:
Imagine slicing into a loaf of your favorite bread. You could cut this loaf in several different directions to get that perfect piece of toast. Just like how you might argue with someone about the right way to slice bread (horizontally? vertically? diagonally?), anatomists have their own standardized ways to view things—luckily, it’s a bit more scientific than bread!
Anatomical sectioning planes are square-like dividers which separate the body into halves. There are 3 main planes:
Table 3 Types of anatomical cross sections
| Cross Section type | Description: |
| Coronal (frontal) | Separates the front and back sides of the body |
Sagittal (longitudinal)
|
Separates the left and right sides of the body
|
|
Separates the upper and lower parts of the body |
The image below depicts several sectioning planes relevant to anatomical positions:
Figure 2 Coronal, sagittal, transverse sectioning planes (left to right)
Activity:
For an example of a midsagittal sectioning, check out this 3D model of the brain!
Do you know your sectioning planes?