TOPOGRAPHIC ANATOMY: WHAT IT STUDIES AND AUXILIARY DISCIPLINES - ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY - 2024

The topographic anatomy, also called segmental anatomy, is the branch of human anatomy that divides the human body or stratifies into segments or regions. Etymologically, the term anatomy comes from the Greek meaning "to study the structure of something or someone" (animal or plant).

For its part, the word topography comes from the Greek terms topos, which means "place or territory"; and spelling, which means "to describe." So, etymologically speaking, topographic anatomy is the description of the territories or regions of the human body.

Its importance lies in the fact that it differentiates and limits the different body segments, in addition to establishing relationships of the anatomical structures, guiding and directing the clinical diagnosis by studying each particular body region.

What does topographic anatomy study?

Topographic anatomy studies the anatomy of the human body, dividing it into regions or segments, unlike descriptive anatomy, which does it into organs and systems.

The topographic division is made taking as a starting point 3 large body segments, and these in turn are divided into many smaller regions, which will be mentioned below:

Head regions

As the first anatomical segment in the cranio-caudal direction, the head is the first structure to be divided.

Skull

The skull is a bony structure that protects the brain tissue. Within this, various regions can be described: occipital region, temporal region, parietal region, frontal region, among others.

Face

It consists of the part of the head that is just below the pinna and just below the lower edge of the superciliary arches.

Various topographic regions are described; The most prominent are the following: orbital region, nasal region, malar region, labial region, mental region and zygomatic region, among others.

Trunk regions

The trunk is the anatomical component that continues immediately below the face. Within this are important organs that command vitally important systems, such as the heart, lungs, liver and spleen, among others. According to the topographic anatomy, it is made up of 3 body segments:

Neck

The neck is a cylindrical-shaped structure inside which are the main vessels that supply the head. One of its main functions is to serve as a support and connection bridge between the brain and the rest of the body through the spinal cord.

There the following regions are described: lateral cervical region, anterior cervical region and posterior cervical region.

Chest

The thorax continues just below the neck and is shaped like a pyramid. Its appearance and external configuration is given by a series of bony elements known as the sternum and ribs, coining the name of the rib cage. Within this are the lungs and the heart.

Some of its regions are the following: dorsal region, mammary region, costal region, sternal region and diaphragmatic region, among others.

Abdomen

It is the penultimate subdivision of the trunk. Within the abdomen are numerous structures; These include the kidneys, liver, stomach, duodenum and spleen.

Its regions are: epigastrium, right and left hypochondrium, right and left flank, right and left iliac fossa, mesogastrium, lumbar region and hypogastrium.

Pelvis

The pelvis is the last anatomical portion corresponding to the trunk. Within this are the female or male reproductive systems.

It is divided into the lesser pelvis and the greater pelvis. In turn, it has parapelvic regions, among which the sacrococcygeal region, the pudendal region and the perineal region stand out.

Extremity regions

The limbs are directly connected to the trunk. In case of being higher, the height of the thorax is connected; if they are lower, they do so at the level of the pelvis.

Superior limbs

Also called upper limbs, they have various subdivisions. The main ones are described below:

Hand

The most distal segment of the upper limb within which there are numerous topographic divisions, among which are the palmar and dorsal region of the hand, the thenar region and the hypothenar region, among others.

Forearm

Anatomical structure that joins the hand with the arm. Within this structure the anterior and posterior antebrachial region are described.

Arm

It limits proximally with the shoulder and distally with the forearm. It has an anterior brachial region and a posterior brachial region.

Shoulder

It is the union between the arm and the thorax. In the shoulder the deltoid, scapular and axillary regions are described.

Lower extremities

Also called lower limbs, they are divided as follows:

Foot

It is the most distal portion of the lower limb and supports the entire weight of the body. A plantar region and a dorsal region are described.

Leg

It has an anterolateral tibial region and a posterior tibial region.

Ball joint

This describes the patellar region, which joins the leg with the thigh.

Thigh

It is between the hip joint and the beginning of the hip or knee joint. The anterior femoral region and the posterior femoral region are described.

Hip

Joins the pelvis with the lower limb. In this structure the inguinocrural, obturator and gluteal regions are described.

Auxiliary disciplines

The auxiliary sciences improve and specify the study of the anatomical structures of the human body. That is why most of the auxiliary sciences are present in all branches of anatomy.

Some auxiliary sciences are osteology, cardiology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, and otorhinolaryngology, among many others.

Applications

In clinical practice, knowledge of descriptive anatomy is very useful to know the functions that a certain system could have, but topographic anatomy gains importance in branches of medicine that require exact anatomical knowledge for its execution, such as surgery and pathological anatomy..

References

1. Human anatomy. University of the Angeles. Recovered from: shoutwiki.com
2. Topographic anatomy. Faculty of the University of Buenos Aires. Recovered from: anatomiatopograficaedsca.blogspot.cl
3. Royal Spanish Academy and Association of Academies of the Spanish Language (2014)
4. Drake RL, Vogl A., Mitchell, AWM GRAY. Anatomy for students + Student Consult. 2011. Elsevier. Madrid
5. Latarjet Ruiz Liard, Human Anatomy Edition. Editorial Panamericana. Volume 1