NUR1 239 Chapter Notes - Chapter 21: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Bowel Obstruction, Iron-Deficiency Anemia
Document Summary
Four layers of large, flat muscles form the ventral abdominal wall. These are joined at the midline by a tendinous seam, the linea alba. Inside the abdominal cavity, all the internal organs are called the viscera. Solid viscera - are those that maintain a characteristic shape (liver, pancreas, spleen, adrenal glands, kidneys, ovaries, and uterus). Hollow viscera - these depend on the contents (stomach, gal bladder, small intestine, colon, and bladder). The twelfth rib forms an angle with the vertebral column, the costovertebral angle. Because of the placement of the liver, the right kidney rest 1 to 2 cm lower than the left kidney and sometimes may be palpable. The abdominal wall is divided into four quadrants: Epigastric the area between the coastal margins. Hypogastric or suprapubic - the area above the pubic bone. Aging alters the appearance of the abdominal wall area.
