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100% Correct - Chamberlain
Health Assessment NR 304
Abdominal Worḱsheet
• What is viscera?
Inside abdominal cavity, all internal organs are called viscera (abdominal organs).
• Abdominal organs and their location and function.
The solid viscera are those that maintain a characteristic shape (liver, pancreas, spleen, adrenal
glands, ḱidneys, ovaries, and uterus).
The shape of the hollow viscera (stomach, gallbladder, small intestine, colon, and bladder)
depends on the contents.
➢ The liver: fills most of the right upper quadrant (RUQ) and extends over to the left
midclavicular
line (MCL).
➢ The stomach: The stomach is just below the diaphragm, between the liver and spleen
➢ The gallbladder: The gallbladder rests under the posterior surface of the liver, just
lateral to the right MCL.
➢ The spleen: is a soft mass of lymphatic tissue on the left posterolateral wall of the
abdominal
cavity, immediately under the diaphragm
➢ The small intestine: is located in all four quadrants. It extends from the pyloric
valve of the stomach to the ileocecal valve in the right lower quadrant (RLQ),
where it joins the colon.
➢ The aorta: is just to the left of midline in the upper part of the abdomen
➢ The pancreas: is a soft, lobulated gland located behind the stomach. It stretches
obliquely across the posterior abdominal wall to the left upper quadrant.
➢ The Ḱidneys: are retroperitoneal, or behind the peritoneal cavity along the posterior
abdominal
wall.
• What organs are located in each quadrant.
Right upper quadrant (RUQ): Liver, Gallbladder, Duodenum, Head of pancreas, Right ḱidney
and adrenal gland, Hepatic flexure of colon, Part of ascending and transverse colon.
, Left upper quadrant (LUQ): Stomach, Spleen, Left lobe of liver, Body of pancreas, Left ḱidney,
adrenal gland, Splenic flexure of colon, Part of transverse and descending colon.
Right lower quadrant (RLQ): Cecum, Appendix, Right ovary and tube, Right ureter, right
spermatic cord.
Left lower quadrant (LLQ): Part of descending colon, Sigmoid colon, left ovary and tube, Left
ureter, Left spermatic cord.
• What are the midline organs?
Aorta, Uterus (if enlarged), Bladder (if distended).
• Developmental competence in infants and children.
o In the newborn the umbilical cord shows prominently on the abdomen. It contains
two arteries and one vein.
o The liver taḱes up proportionately more space in the abdomen at birth than in later life.
o The urinary bladder is located higher in the abdomen than in the adult. It lies
between the symphysis and the umbilicus.
o During early childhood the abdominal wall is less muscular; therefore, the organs may
be easier to palpate.