Sagittal plane

The sagittal plane (/ˈsædʒɪtəl/; also known as the longitudinal plane) is an anatomical plane that divides the body into right and left sections.^[1] It is perpendicular to the transverse and coronal planes. The plane may be in the center of the body and divide it into two equal parts (mid-sagittal), or away from the midline and divide it into unequal parts (para-sagittal).

Sagittal plane
The main anatomical planes of the human body, including mid-sagittal or median (red), parasagittal (yellow), frontal or coronal plane (blue) and transverse or axial plane (green)
Mid-sagittal section of a human skull, by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1489
Details
Identifiers
Latin	plana sagittalia
TA98	A01.2.00.003
TA2	49
FMA	11361
Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

The term sagittal was coined by Gerard of Cremona.^[2]

Variations in terminology

Examples of sagittal planes include:

• The terms median plane or mid-sagittal plane are sometimes used to describe the sagittal plane running through the midline. This plane cuts the body into halves (assuming bilateral symmetry),^[3] passing through midline structures such as the navel and spine. It is one of the planes which, combined with the umbilical plane, defines the four quadrants of the human abdomen.^[4]
• The term parasagittal is used to describe any plane parallel or adjacent to a given sagittal plane.^[5] Specific named parasagittal planes include:
  • The midclavicular line crosses through the clavicle.
  • Lateral sternal and parasternal planes.^[6]

The term sagittal derives from the Latin word sagitta, meaning "arrow". An image of an arrow piercing a body and passing from front (anterior) to back (posterior) on a parabolic trajectory with the upright bow that shot it would be one way to demonstrate the derivation of the term. Another explanation would involve the notching of the sagittal suture posteriorly by the lambdoidal suture —similar to feathers on an arrow. The Oxford English Dictionary indicates that sagittal in the sense of the sagittal suture along the vertex of the skull pre-dates other anatomical usage.^[7]

• Sagittal axis or anterior-posterior axis is the axis perpendicular to the coronal plane, i.e., the one formed by the intersection of the sagittal and the transversal planes
• Coronal axis, medial-lateral axis, or frontal axis is the axis perpendicular to the sagittal plane, i.e., the one formed by the intersection of the coronal and the transversal planes.^[8]
• Extension and flexion are the movements of limbs within the sagittal plane.^[9]
• Abduction and adduction are terms for movements of limbs within the coronal plane.^[10]
• Sagittal plane movements include flexion, extension, and hyperextension, as well as dorsiflexion and plantar flexion.^[11]

Additional images

• 
  Sectional planes of the brain
• 
  Identical twins at a gestational age of 15 weeks, shown in coronal and sagittal plane, respectively
• 
  Brain anatomy (sagittal)

See also

• Anatomical terms of location
• Coronal plane
• Transverse plane

References

1. Mark Vella (May 2008). Anatomy for Strength and Fitness Training. New Holland Publishers. pp. 16–. ISBN 978-1-84773-153-1.
2. Arráez-Aybar, Luis-A; Bueno-López, JL; Raio, N (2015). "Toledo school of translators and their influence on anatomical terminology". Annals of Anatomy - Anatomischer Anzeiger. 198: 21–33. doi:10.1016/j.aanat.2014.12.003. PMID 25667112.
3. "Median plane" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
4. Kapit, Wynn (2014). The anatomy coloring book. San Francisco: Pearson. ISBN 9780321832016.
5. "parasagittal". Merriam-Webster dictionary. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
6. Yokochi, Chihiro; Rohen, Johannes W. (2006). Color Atlas of Anatomy: A Photographic Study of the Human Body. Hagerstown, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 2006. 217 p. ISBN 0-7817-9013-1.
7. "sagittal". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
8. Movement Terminology (PDF). Arizona State University.
9. Winslow, Valerie (Dec 23, 2008). Classic Human Anatomy: The Artist's Guide to Form, Function, and Movement. Watson-Guptill. pp. 32–33. ISBN 978-0823024155.
10. Winslow, Valerie (Dec 23, 2008). Classic Human Anatomy: The Artist's Guide to Form, Function, and Movement. Watson-Guptill. pp. 34–35. ISBN 978-0823024155.
11. Kinematic Concepts for Analyzing Human Motion. In: Hall SJ. eds. Basic Biomechanics, 7e. McGraw-Hill; Accessed January 25, 2021.