The dorsal plane (also known as the coronal plane or frontal plane, especially in human anatomy) is an
anatomical plane
An anatomical plane is a hypothetical plane used to transect the body, in order to describe the location of structures or the direction of movements.
In human anatomy and non-human anatomy, four principal planes are used: the median plane, ...
that divides the body into
dorsal and ventral sections.
It is perpendicular to the
sagittal
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 plane, transverse and coronal plane, coronal planes. The plane may be in ...
and
transverse planes.
Human anatomy
The coronal plane is an example of a
longitudinal plane. For a human, the mid-coronal plane would transect a standing body into two halves (front and back, or anterior and posterior) in an imaginary line that cuts through both shoulders.
The sternal plane (''planum sternale'') is a coronal plane which transects the front of the
sternum
The sternum (: sternums or sterna) or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major bl ...
.
Etymology
The term is derived from Latin ''corona'' ('garland, crown'), from Ancient Greek κορώνη (''korōnē'', 'garland, wreath'). The coronal plane is so called because it lies in the same direction as the
coronal suture
The coronal suture is a dense, fibrous connective tissue joint that separates the two parietal bones from the frontal bone of the skull.
Structure
The coronal suture lies between the paired parietal bones and the frontal bone of the skull ...
.
Additional images
File:Coronal plane CT scan of the paranasal sinuses illustrative image.jpg, CT scan of the paranasal sinuses
Paranasal sinuses are a group of four paired air-filled spaces that surround the nasal cavity. The maxillary sinuses are located under the eyes; the frontal sinuses are above the eyes; the ethmoidal sinuses are between the eyes and the sphe ...
with coronal reconstruction (right) and axial planning data (left).
File:Blausen 0104 Brain x-secs SectionalPlanes.png, Sectional planes of the brain
File:Coronal and sagittal views of identical twins.png, Identical twin
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of Twin Last Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two ...
s at a gestational age of 15 weeks, shown in coronal and sagittal plane, respectively
File:Sagital Vs Coronal.png, Sagittal section (top) vs. coronal section (bottom) of a mouse brain
A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus'' ...
See also
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Anatomical terms of location
Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position pr ...
*
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 ...
*
Transverse plane
A transverse plane is a plane that is rotated 90° from two other planes.
Anatomy
The transverse plane is an anatomical plane that is perpendicular to the sagittal plane and the dorsal plane. It is also called the axial plane or horizonta ...
References
External links
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Anatomical planes