Anatomical planes
Three major groups of planes pass through the body in the anatomical position.
Coronal planes are oriented vertically and divide the body into anterior and posterior parts
Sagittal planes also are oriented vertically, but are at right angles to the coronal planes and divide the body into right and left parts. The plane that passes through the center of the body dividing it into equal right and left halves is termed the median sagittal plane
Transverse, horizontal , or axial planes divide the body into superior and inferior parts.
Location Terms
Three major pairs of terms are used to describe the location of structures relative to the body as a whole or to other structures.
Anterior (or ventral ) and posterior (or dorsal ) describe the position of structures relative to the “front” and “back” of the body. For example, the nose is an anterior (ventral) structure, whereas the vertebral column is a posterior (dorsal) structure.
Superior and inferior describe structures in reference to the vertical axis of the body. For example, the head is superior to the shoulders.