New ATI Abdomen Notes
Anatomy
The abdominal cavity is a large space in the main trunk of the body below the diaphragm. It
is one of the largest body cavities and holds the organs that are vial for digestive function
and fueling the body from the food that is consumed
The abdominal area can be divided into 4 quadrants or nine regions. These divisions of
the abdomen allow nurses and providers to accurately assess
Quadrants
o The quadrant method uses the landmark of the umbilicus to divide the abdomen
into four areas
o Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ): Contains the cecum, appendix, right ovary, and fallopian
tube (female), right spermatic cord (male), ascending colon, right ureter, and a
portion of the right kidney
o Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ): Contains the liver, gallbladder, duodenum, ascending
and transverse colon, and portion of the right kidney
o Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ): Contains the stomach, spleen, pancreas, left adrenal
gland, transverse and descending colon, liver, and a portion of the left kidney
o Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ): Contains the stomach, spleen, pancreas, left adrenal
gland, transverse and descending colon, liver, and a portion of the left kidney
Regions
o Another technique is to divide the abdominal region into nine regions. Some organs
are found in more than one region
▪ Right hypogastric region in the upper right section of the abdomen contains the
right lower lobe of liver, gallbladder, top potion of kidney, and a part of the
duodenum
▪ Right lumbar region is just below and contains the ascending colon and kidney
▪ Right Inguinal Region is the bottom and contains the cecum, appendix,
right ureter and ovary, and right spermatic cord
▪ Epigastric Region is at the center top of the abdominal area right where the ribs
split. It includes the aorta and pancreas and the pyloric end of the
stomach
▪ Umbilical Region is below the epigastric region in the middle where the navel
is located. It contains the momentum, mesentery, and lower part of the
duodenum
▪ Hypogastric Region, sometimes referred to as suprapubic, is the lowest
mid- region and contains the ileum, bladder, and uterus
▪ Left Hypochondriac region at the upper left of the abdomen contains
the stomach, top portion of kidney, and spleen
▪ Left Lumbar Region below it contains the descending colon and kidney
▪ Left Inguinal region at the bottom left of the abdomen contains the
sigmoid colon, left ureter and ovary, and left spermatic cord
Gastrointestinal Tract
o The GI tract, also known as the alimentary canal, is about 8m (27ft) long and is the
route that takes food from the mouth through the process of digestion and excretion.
Once you chew and swallow food, it forms into a ball (bolus) and travels down the
esophagus into the stomach. The stomach is in the LUQ, hollow, expandable, muscular
organ that processes food by using stomach acids and enzymes such as pepsin
o After the food is digested, it becomes chyme
, o The pyloric sphincter allows the chyme to enter the small intestines
o The small intestines contain three parts: duodenum, jejunum, and ileum
o The villi within the small intestine assist with the process of digestion, mixing,
and absorbing of the liquefied food
o Then the digested food travels through the ileocecal valve into the large intestines,
which are responsible for the absorption of water and nutrients and the formation
of feces
o The first main part of the larger intestine is the cecum, located in the right
lower abdominal quadrant
o The appendix, which has no digestive property function, is located at the base of
the cecum in the RLQ
o After the food leaves the cecum, it travels up to the colon
▪ The colon has four parts: ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid. The
sigmoid colon is the lower part of the large intestine, which leads to the final
part of the journey for digestive food to leave the body through the rectum
and anus as feces
▪ The urinary system works collaboratively with GI system to revolve water-
soluble waste producing during digestion
Accessory GI Organs and Vessels
o Assist with the process of digestion
o Liver
▪ The second largest organ in the body
▪ Located below the diaphragm, in the upper quadrant of the abdomen,
covered mostly by the ribcage
▪ The liver is responsible for storage of minerals and vitamins, protection against
harmful bacteria, detoxification of ingested chemicals, the storage and release
of glycogen from carbohydrates and the metabolism of proteins. The liver also
produces clotting factors and the yellow-brown biochemical known as bile, to
break down fats during digestion
o Gallbladder
▪ A small organ attached under the liver in the right hypochondriac region
▪ It concentrates and stores bile and releases it into the duodenum through
the common bile duct
o Pancreas
▪ Located behind the stomach, in the upper left quadrant of the abdominal cavity
▪ The pancreas has two glands: exocrine (which release enzymes for digestion)
and endocrine (which releases insulin and glucagon to regulate blood sugar
and metabolism)
▪ Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas that moves glucose into the cells
▪ The pancreatic enzymes such as amylase, lipase, trypsin, and
chymotrypsin) allow for breakdown of food to be used as fuel
o Abdominal Aorta
▪ Runs down through the abdominal cavity just left of the left upper quadrant
in the epigastric region
▪ It splits into the right and left iliac arteries
▪ These eventually become femoral arteries as they enter the legs near the groin
o Spleen
Anatomy
The abdominal cavity is a large space in the main trunk of the body below the diaphragm. It
is one of the largest body cavities and holds the organs that are vial for digestive function
and fueling the body from the food that is consumed
The abdominal area can be divided into 4 quadrants or nine regions. These divisions of
the abdomen allow nurses and providers to accurately assess
Quadrants
o The quadrant method uses the landmark of the umbilicus to divide the abdomen
into four areas
o Right Lower Quadrant (RLQ): Contains the cecum, appendix, right ovary, and fallopian
tube (female), right spermatic cord (male), ascending colon, right ureter, and a
portion of the right kidney
o Right Upper Quadrant (RUQ): Contains the liver, gallbladder, duodenum, ascending
and transverse colon, and portion of the right kidney
o Left Upper Quadrant (LUQ): Contains the stomach, spleen, pancreas, left adrenal
gland, transverse and descending colon, liver, and a portion of the left kidney
o Left Lower Quadrant (LLQ): Contains the stomach, spleen, pancreas, left adrenal
gland, transverse and descending colon, liver, and a portion of the left kidney
Regions
o Another technique is to divide the abdominal region into nine regions. Some organs
are found in more than one region
▪ Right hypogastric region in the upper right section of the abdomen contains the
right lower lobe of liver, gallbladder, top potion of kidney, and a part of the
duodenum
▪ Right lumbar region is just below and contains the ascending colon and kidney
▪ Right Inguinal Region is the bottom and contains the cecum, appendix,
right ureter and ovary, and right spermatic cord
▪ Epigastric Region is at the center top of the abdominal area right where the ribs
split. It includes the aorta and pancreas and the pyloric end of the
stomach
▪ Umbilical Region is below the epigastric region in the middle where the navel
is located. It contains the momentum, mesentery, and lower part of the
duodenum
▪ Hypogastric Region, sometimes referred to as suprapubic, is the lowest
mid- region and contains the ileum, bladder, and uterus
▪ Left Hypochondriac region at the upper left of the abdomen contains
the stomach, top portion of kidney, and spleen
▪ Left Lumbar Region below it contains the descending colon and kidney
▪ Left Inguinal region at the bottom left of the abdomen contains the
sigmoid colon, left ureter and ovary, and left spermatic cord
Gastrointestinal Tract
o The GI tract, also known as the alimentary canal, is about 8m (27ft) long and is the
route that takes food from the mouth through the process of digestion and excretion.
Once you chew and swallow food, it forms into a ball (bolus) and travels down the
esophagus into the stomach. The stomach is in the LUQ, hollow, expandable, muscular
organ that processes food by using stomach acids and enzymes such as pepsin
o After the food is digested, it becomes chyme
, o The pyloric sphincter allows the chyme to enter the small intestines
o The small intestines contain three parts: duodenum, jejunum, and ileum
o The villi within the small intestine assist with the process of digestion, mixing,
and absorbing of the liquefied food
o Then the digested food travels through the ileocecal valve into the large intestines,
which are responsible for the absorption of water and nutrients and the formation
of feces
o The first main part of the larger intestine is the cecum, located in the right
lower abdominal quadrant
o The appendix, which has no digestive property function, is located at the base of
the cecum in the RLQ
o After the food leaves the cecum, it travels up to the colon
▪ The colon has four parts: ascending, transverse, descending, and sigmoid. The
sigmoid colon is the lower part of the large intestine, which leads to the final
part of the journey for digestive food to leave the body through the rectum
and anus as feces
▪ The urinary system works collaboratively with GI system to revolve water-
soluble waste producing during digestion
Accessory GI Organs and Vessels
o Assist with the process of digestion
o Liver
▪ The second largest organ in the body
▪ Located below the diaphragm, in the upper quadrant of the abdomen,
covered mostly by the ribcage
▪ The liver is responsible for storage of minerals and vitamins, protection against
harmful bacteria, detoxification of ingested chemicals, the storage and release
of glycogen from carbohydrates and the metabolism of proteins. The liver also
produces clotting factors and the yellow-brown biochemical known as bile, to
break down fats during digestion
o Gallbladder
▪ A small organ attached under the liver in the right hypochondriac region
▪ It concentrates and stores bile and releases it into the duodenum through
the common bile duct
o Pancreas
▪ Located behind the stomach, in the upper left quadrant of the abdominal cavity
▪ The pancreas has two glands: exocrine (which release enzymes for digestion)
and endocrine (which releases insulin and glucagon to regulate blood sugar
and metabolism)
▪ Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas that moves glucose into the cells
▪ The pancreatic enzymes such as amylase, lipase, trypsin, and
chymotrypsin) allow for breakdown of food to be used as fuel
o Abdominal Aorta
▪ Runs down through the abdominal cavity just left of the left upper quadrant
in the epigastric region
▪ It splits into the right and left iliac arteries
▪ These eventually become femoral arteries as they enter the legs near the groin
o Spleen
