Whether in reference to the

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

of the human or other members of the

Bilateria Bilateria () is a large clade of animals characterised by bilateral symmetry during embryonic development. This means their body plans are laid around a longitudinal axis with a front (or "head") and a rear (or "tail") end, as well as a left� ...

, the median plane, also called the midsagittal plane and related terms, is used to describe the

sagittal plane The sagittal plane (; also known as the longitudinal plane) is an anatomical plane that divides the body into right and left sections. It is perpendicular to the transverse and coronal planes. The plane may be in the center of the body and divi ...

as it bisects the body vertically through the midline marked by the

navel The navel (clinically known as the umbilicus; : umbilici or umbilicuses; also known as the belly button or tummy button) is a protruding, flat, or hollowed area on the abdomen at the attachment site of the umbilical cord. Structure The u ...

, dividing the body exactly in left and right side. The term parasagittal plane is used to refer to any plane parallel to the sagittal and median plane. It is one of the lines used to define the right upper quadrant of the human abdomen. The midsternal line can be interpreted as a segment of the median plane. File:Sagittal brain MRI.jpg, Median plane

magnetic resonance imaging Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and ...

of the head. File:Median plane CT scan of a pregnancy of 37 weeks of gestational age.jpg, Median plane

CT scan A computed tomography scan (CT scan), formerly called computed axial tomography scan (CAT scan), is a medical imaging technique used to obtain detailed internal images of the body. The personnel that perform CT scans are called radiographers or ...

of a pregnant woman. The fetus (exposed in the

coronal plane The dorsal plane (also known as the coronal plane or frontal plane, especially in human anatomy) is an anatomical plane that divides the body into Anatomical terms of location#Dorsal and ventral, dorsal and ventral sections. It is perpendicular t ...

) is 37 weeks of gestational age.

References

{{Anatomical planes Abdomen