ABDOMEN: Posterior Abdominal Region I
ABDOMEN: Posterior Abdominal Region I
ABDOMEN: Posterior Abdominal Region I
Module 3.5
ABDOMEN: Posterior Abdominal Region
I. Overview
This module presents the posterior abdominal region. It is the region posterior to the abdominal part
of the gastrointestinal tract, the spleen, and the pancreas. This area, bounded by bones and muscles
making up the posterior abdominal wall, contains numerous structures that not only are directly
involved in the activities of the abdominal contents but also use this area as a conduit between body
regions.
You are expected to go over the adapted resource material to be able to answer the given tasks. This
is also to prepare you for the summative assessment.
REMINDER:
It is easy to just copy and paste or just tick what is required. But remember, you
are fooling YOURSELF for you will never achieve the goal of education.
Moreover, you are the one who is going to take the board examination.
Therefore, it is so important that you do what is right, not what is easy. Be
proud of your hard-earned profession.
The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit. So,
… be patient,
… be humble, and
… don’t give up.
***Do not get irritated when you will encounter repeated question because REPETITION is the key to
MASTERY.
The task accesses your prior knowledge and helps you become engaged in this new concept to promote
curiosity and elicit prior knowledge. The activity should make connections between your past and present
learning experiences, expose prior conceptions, and organize your thinking toward the learning outcomes
of these current activities.
Explore
Exploration experiences provide you with a common base of activities within which current concepts
(i.e., misconceptions), processes, and skills are identified and conceptual change is facilitated. When you
answer the questions herewith it will help you use your prior knowledge to generate new ideas, explore
questions and possibilities, and design and conduct a preliminary search. Moreover, when you will finish
answering this portion you are also able to read the whole topic. However, if you are just simply copying
and pasting without internalizing, then you are defeating the purpose of exploration.
1. What causes the classic appearance of the right and left domes of the diaphragm?
The classic appearance of the right and left domes of the diaphragm is caused by the underlying
abdominal contents pushing these lateral areas upward, and by the fibrous pericardium, which is
attached centrally, causing a flattening of the diaphragm in this area.
7. What is the clinical significance of the constrictions along the course of the ureter.
Constrictions along the course of the ureter may indicate presence of urinary tract stones, which can
produce marked irritation, causing pain and discomfort.
12. Of the venous tributaries mentioned above, explain why the lumbar veins are unique in their
connections and deserve special attention.
The fifth lumbar vein generally drains into the iliolumbar vein, a tributary of the common iliac vein.
The third and fourth lumbar veins usually drain into the inferior vena cava.
13. Complete the table on the major lymphatic channels that drain different regions of the body.
Lymphatic vessel Area drained
Right jugular trunk Right side of the head and neck
Left jugular trunk Left side of the head and neck
Right subclavian trunk Right upper limb, superficial regions of thoracict and upper abdominal
walls
Left subclavian trunk Left upper limb, superficial regions of thoracict and upper abdominal
walls
Right bronchomediastinal Right lung and bronchi, mediastinal structures, thoracic wall
trunk
Left bronchomediastinal Left lung and bronchi, mediastinal structures, thoracic wall
trunk
Thoracict duct Lower limbs, abdominal walls and viscera, pelvic walls and viscera,
thoracic wall
Midgut (organs Lesser splanchnic nerve T9, T10 (or T10, T11) Umbilical region
supplied by superior
mesenteric artery)
Kidneys and upper Least splanchnic nerve T12 Flanks (lateral regions)
ureter
Explain
The posterior abdominal region in the Regional Anatomy from pages 366 to 401. The purpose of this
explanation phase is to focus your attention on the posterior abdominal region. In this aspect, your
engagement and exploration experiences will provide opportunities to demonstrate your conceptual
understanding, process skills, or behaviors.
This phase also provides opportunities for me to directly introduce the concept, process, or skill. You are
also expected to explain your understanding of the concept to your classmates or peers. My explanation or
the curriculum may guide you toward a deeper understanding, which is a critical part of this phase.
Elaborate
After your exploration and the explanation phase. I am giving you the challenge to extend your
conceptual understanding and skills. Through new experiences, you must develop deeper and broader
understanding, more information, and adequate skills. You must apply your understanding of the concept
by conducting additional activities such as watching Youtube as your tutor or consulting other
educational resources like answering quizzes or activities online. Moreover, you will be encountering
some repetitions from the explore portion of this module for the purpose of mastery.
A. Answer the following as guided by directional terms. Name what is asked. Tick the column if you
have located the structure on the figure. Then give the descriptions.
Reminder: There is no shortcut in learning. Literal copy and paste will not help you at all.
Esophagus The esophagus is the muscular tube that carries food and
liquids from your mouth to the stomach.
Diaphragm The musculotendinous diaphragm seals the inferior thoracic
aperture
Left suprarenal gland The left adrenal gland is located on top of the left kidney. It
is very close to the splenic artery, which is the major artery
that goes to the spleen, and the tail of the pancreas.
Left kidney The left kidney sits slightly higher than the right.
Abdominal aorta The abdominal aorta begins at the aortic hiatus of the
diaphragm, anterior to the lower border of vertebra TXII.
Gonadal vessels The gonadal veins are paired structures that drain the gonads
in males and females.
Bladder The urinary bladder is a temporary storage reservoir for
urine.
3. What consists of the midline boundary of the posterior abdominal wall, inferior to the lumbar
vertebrae?
The midline boundary of the posterior abdominal wall, inferior to the lumbar vertebrae, consists of the
upper margin of the sacrum.
4. Pelvic bones
Parts Tick Description/ Function
Iliac bone the upper crest or "wings" on the pelvic girdle
sacro-iliac joints the joint connection between the spine and the pelvis
iliac fossa a large, smooth, concave surface on the internal surface of
the ilium
5. What ribs complete the bony framework of the posterior abdominal wall?
Parts Tick Description/ Function
Rib XI posterior to the superior part of the left kidney
Rib XII posterior to the superior part of both kidneys; serves as a
point of attachment for numerous muscles and ligaments
Psoas minor Lateral surface Pectineal line of Anterior rami of Weak flexion of
of bodies of the pelvic brim L1 lumbar vertebral
TXII and LI and iliopubic column
vertebrae and eminence
intervening
intervertebral
disc
vagal trunks Pass through the esophageal hiatus with the esophagus
esophageal branches of the
left gastric artery and vein
few lymphatic vessels
caval opening The third large opening in the diaphragm through which the
inferior vena cava passes from the abdominal cavity to the
Name the additional structures that pass through small openings either in or just outside the diaphragm as
they pass from the thoracic cavity to the abdominal cavity.
Parts Tick Description/ Function
greater, lesser, and least (when pass through the crura, on either side
present) splanchnic nerves
Inferior the inferior phrenic arteries branches of the abdominal aorta, supply the
diaphragm
median arcuate ligament The tendinous arch that connects the crura across the
midline
lateral arcuate ligament attached medially to the sides of vertebrae LI and LII
and laterally to the transverse process of vertebra LI
Moving inferiorly, a large part of the rest of the upper part of the anterior surface is against the
liver and is separated from it by a layer of peritoneum.
Medially, the descending part of the duodenum is retroperitoneal and contacts the kidney.
The inferior pole of the kidney, on its lateral side, is directly associated with the right colic
flexure and, on its medial side, is covered by a segment of the intraperitoneal small intestine.
The rest of the superior pole is covered by the intraperitoneal stomach and spleen.
Moving inferiorly, the retroperitoneal pancreas covers the middle part of the kidney.
On its lateral side, the lower half of the kidney is covered by the left colic flexure and the
beginning of the descending colon, and, on its medial side, by the parts
of the intraperitoneal jejunum.
Describe the relationship of the kidneys to the ribs on the superior pole.
Location Relationship Tick
Right anterior to rib XII
Describe the margins of the renal fat and fascia of the kidneys
Location Relationship Tick
Lateral margins The anterior and posterior layers of the renal fascia fuse.
This fused layer may connect with the transversalis fascia on
the lateral abdominal wall.
Above each suprarenal gland The anterior and posterior layers of the renal fascia fuse and
blend with the fascia that covers the diaphragm.
over the vessels in the hilum and fuses with the connective
tissue associated with the abdominal aorta and the inferior
A Self-regulated Learning Module 12
vena cava
renal columns Extensions of the renal cortex into the inner aspect of the
kidney, dividing the renal medulla into the renal pyramids.
renal papilla The apical projection is the renal papilla. It contains the
openings of the papillary ducts draining the renal tubules.
minor calyx It surrounds the renal papilla
major calyx The result of formation of the several minor calices in the
renal sinus.
renal pelvis The funnel-shaped superior end of the ureters. Two or three
major calices unite to form this part.
left and right renal veins are anterior to the renal arteries
2nd point The second point is where the ureters cross the common iliac
vessels at the pelvic brim.
3rd point The third point is where the ureters enter the wall of the
bladder.
middle part may receive branches from the abdominal aorta, the
testicular or ovarian arteries, and the common iliac arteries.
pelvic cavity the ureters are supplied by one or more arteries from
branches of the internal iliac arteries.
Anterior to the left suprarenal gland part of the stomach, pancreas, and, on occasion, the
spleen
B. Read and understand the clinical correlations through pages 371, 381-385, 389, 391, and 393. This
will stimulate your higher order thinking skills in preparation for analytical and application type of
assessments.
Evaluate
The evaluation phase encourages you to assess your own understanding and abilities. This will also
provide opportunities for me to evaluate your progress toward achieving the learning outcomes.
Therefore, scheduled summative assessments for both lecture and laboratory will be given.