What body plane divides the body or organ into its front and back sections also called the coronal plane known as the plane?

These planes divide the human body, as well as organs and other body parts, into different sections to describe an organ or limb’s location, structures in organs and limbs, and or the movements of body parts. The three planes are orthogonal, so the short answer to the question in the title is 90°.

The sagittal or lateral plane dives the body into left and right halves and is an x-z plane. Technically, the sagittal or median plane goes right through the middle between the body’s left and right halves. Planes parallel the sagittal planes are called parasagittal planes. It is called the sagittal plane because it goes through or is parallel to the sagittal suture, the line running along the top of the skull that marks where the left and right halves of the skull grew together.

The coronal or frontal planes divide the body into front and back (also called dorsal and ventral or posterior and anterior) sections and are x-y planes.

The transvers planes, also known as the axial or horizontal planes, are parallel to the ground and divide the body into top and bottom parts. The top and bottom sections also called the superior and inferior section s or the cranial (head) and caudal (tial) sections). They are x-z planes.

And here we are with part two of our rundown on the things you need to learn before you dive into the meaty stuff of A&P, specifically how to talk about the body. In our previous post, we discussed anatomical position and directional terms. In this post, we’re going to take a look at planes and cavities.

Planes: Because who said anatomy didn’t require an imagination?

No, not the kind that fly you over oceans and have helpful people in uniforms that ply you with bags of stale peanuts. The other kind! The art kind, or in more technical terms the area of a two-dimensional surface. When used in conjunction with anatomy, planes are used to divide the body and its parts, which allows you to describe the views from which you study the body. If you look at your A&P textbook, you’ll most likely notice that a good number of the pictures and diagrams make use of planes.

Here is a list of commonly used planes:

Of course, in reality, the planes used are completely imaginary, but they are a helpful visual in terms of describing a view.

Want more information about anatomical planes? Check out our free Planes & Positions eBook! 

Using a frontal plane to bisect the body lengthwise, we’re able to describe certain areas that would not be easily visible or accessible if we used another plane.

The transverse plane bisects the brain horizontally, allowing for a superior view.

Want a quick review of planes, positions, and directional terms? Check out this video: 

Cavities: Because things need to be kept somewhere.

A concept easier to grasp than planes and directional is body cavities, as they are a physical thing. When you hear the word “cavity,” no doubt you think of the kind in your teeth that are caused by plaque. A cavity, in any capacity, is a hollow place. In your teeth, it’s a hollow bit in the hard body. In the body itself, it is a hollow place usually filled with organs, nerves, vessels, and muscles.

Here are the body’s cavities:

This post was originally published in 2013. It has since been updated with  new body cavity images from Human Anatomy Atlas 2019. 

Be sure to subscribe to the Visible Body Blog for more anatomy awesomeness! 

Are you an instructor? We have award-winning 3D products and resources for your anatomy and physiology course! Learn more here.

Related Posts:

• 5 Things about the Integumentary System
• The Pharynx and Epiglottis
• Homologues of Reproductive Anatomy

What body plane divides the body into front and back sections?

Which plane divides the body into front and back halves and is the plane in which toe to heel weight shifts and flexing and extending the hips occur?

What are the names of the planes that divide the body?