Plane

Plane (anatomy)

A plane in anatomy is an imaginary two-dimensional surface that passes through the body. There are several anatomical planes that are typically used in the study of anatomy and in medical imaging.

Anatomical planes

The three primary anatomical planes are:

• The sagittal plane (also known as the longitudinal plane or lateral plane) is a vertical plane that divides the body into right and left parts. It is perpendicular to the coronal and transverse planes.
• The coronal plane (also known as the frontal plane) is a vertical plane that divides the body into anterior (front) and posterior (back) parts. It is perpendicular to the sagittal and transverse planes.
• The transverse plane (also known as the horizontal plane, axial plane, or cross-sectional plane) is a horizontal plane that divides the body into superior (upper) and inferior (lower) parts. It is perpendicular to the sagittal and coronal planes.

Other planes

In addition to the primary anatomical planes, there are several other planes that are often used in the study of anatomy:

• The oblique plane is any plane that is not parallel to the sagittal, coronal, or transverse planes.
• The median plane is a sagittal plane that divides the body into equal right and left halves.
• The parasagittal plane is any sagittal plane that is not the median plane.

See also

• Anatomical terms of location
• Anatomical terms of motion

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