abdominal quadrants

ABDOMINAL QUADRANTS

abdominal quadrants

Four parts or divisions of the abdomen determined by drawing imaginary vertical and horizontal lines through the umbilicus. The quadrants and their contents are:

Right upper quadrant (RUQ): right lobe of liver, gallbladder, part of transverse colon, part of pylorus, hepatic flexure, right kidney, and duodenum; Right lower q. (RLQ): cecum, ascending colon, small intestine, appendix, bladder if distended, right ureter, right spermatic duct in the male, right ovary and right tube, and uterus if enlarged in the female; Left upper q. (LUQ): left lobe of liver, stomach, small intestine, transverse colon, splenic flexure, pancreas, left kidney, and spleen; Left lower q. (LLQ): small intestine, left ureter, sigmoid flexure, descending colon, bladder if distended, left spermatic duct in the male; left ovary and left tube, and uterus if enlarged, in the female.

 See: illustration