NSE 13A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 22: Lactose Intolerance, Peristalsis, Common Iliac Artery
Document Summary
The abdomen is a large oval cavity extending from the diaphragm down to the top of the pelvis. It is bordered in back by the vertebral column and paravertebral muscles and at the sides and front by the lower rib cage and abdominal muscles. The ventral abdominal wall has four layers of large, flat muscles. They are joined at the midline by a tendinous seam, the linea alba. The rectus abdominis, forms a strip extending the length of the midline, and its edge is often palpable. The muscles protect and hold the organs in place, and they flex the vertebral column. The internal organs are called the viscera. The solid viscera are those that maintain a characteristic shape (liver, pancreas, spleen, adrenal glands, kidneys, ovaries, and uterus) The liver fills most of the right upper quadrant (ruq) and extends over to the left midclavicular line. The lower edge of the liver and the right kidney may normally be palpable.
