Anatomical Planes

(a) The sagittal plane is the plane that divides the body or an organ vertically into right and left sides. If this vertical plane runs directly down the middle of the body, it is called the midsagittal or median plane. If it divides the body into unequal right and left sides, it is called a parasagittal plane or, less commonly, a longitudinal section.

(b) The frontal plane is the plane that divides the body or an organ into an anterior (front) portion and a posterior (rear) portion. The frontal plane is also often referred to as a coronal plane.

(c) The transverse plane is the plane that divides the body or organ horizontally into superior (upper) and inferior (lower) portions. Transverse planes produce images referred to as cross-sections.

Anatomical Sections

An anatomical section is a slice or cut through a body part along a specific anatomical plane, designed to reveal internal structures from a particular perspective. These sections can be physical, such as those created during dissection, or virtual, as produced by imaging technologies like CT scans or MRIs.

When a portion of the body is sectioned, it shows a two-dimensional surface of a three-dimensional structure, which can be challenging to interpret. A section can be better understood when the viewer knows the anatomical plane along which it was made.

Images below show how the brain is sectioned using the three anatomical planes. Each section provides a unique perspective, showing various aspects of the brain’s structure, either from the side, top, bottom, front, or back. By integrating these views, observers can create a more comprehensive three-dimensional mental model of the brain.

Also shown below is the kidney cut along its frontal (coronal) plane to reveal the internal structures of the organ’s posterior portion.