Lesson · A.1.2

Body cavities and regions

The HESI A2 tests which organs sit in which body cavity and which abdominal quadrant or region. Learn the dorsal and ventral cavity divisions and the two abdominal maps that questions draw from.

ObjectiveA.1.2Read4 minExam weightOrganization of the Body ≈ 24% of Anatomy & Physiology

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What you will be able to do

Name the two major body cavities and the subdivisions nested inside each one.
State which organs sit in the thoracic cavity versus the abdominopelvic cavity.
Locate an organ using both the four abdominal quadrants and the nine abdominal regions.

What the lesson concludes

The dorsal cavity holds the brain and spinal cord; the ventral cavity holds everything from the neck down to the pelvic floor.
The diaphragm is the wall between the thoracic cavity above and the abdominopelvic cavity below.
The abdominal quadrants (RUQ, LUQ, RLQ, LLQ) are a quick clinical map; the nine abdominal regions give a more precise one.
Right and left on any body map are the patient's right and left, not the viewer's, unless the question says otherwise.