Abdomen-Visible HumanYou selected: oblique musclesThe external and internal oblique muscles, in addition to the innermost transversus abdominus muscle, form the three layers of the anterior abdominal wall. The rectus abdominus muscle forms the central region of the anterior abdomen.The muscle fiblers of the oblique muscles run perpendicular to one another, at a 45 degree angle to the transverse plane. They compress the abdomen when straining, and are heavily used for sit-ups. kidney | colon | small intestine | erector spinae | psoas major | quadratus lumborum | oblique muscles | rectus abdominus | Information Module Name: a_vm1640 Module Title: Abdomen-Visible Human Image Info: Transverse section through the abdomen Created by: Lynn Bry Contact Email:bryl@medicine.wustl.edu Last modified: Feb 2nd, 1997 introduction=This transverse sectiion lies approximately 5cm above the umbilicus (belly button). Note the posterior location of the kidneys, and their encasement in the perirenal fat. Segments of small intestine and colon may also be seen. Small bowel can be distinguished from the colon by it's narrower bore, and smaller lumen. This particular section cuts through the ascending colon, seen on the right, the transverse colon, located in the middle, and the descending colon shown posteriorly on the left side of the body. Click on 'colon' in the key points listed below to have these features outlined in the image. Muscles of interest include the psoas major and quadratus lumborum muscles, the erector spinae muscles of the back, and the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall: external and internal obliques, transversus abdominus, and rectus abdominus muscles. Created with Annotation 1.0 |