Lateral abdominal region
Regio abdominis lateralis
- Related terms: Lateral abdominal region (Middle abdominal region)
Definition
The lateral abdominal region corresponds to the right and left portions of the abdominal wall, located between the hypochondral region (cranial) and the inguinal region (caudal).
It occupies the flanks of the abdomen and forms a transition zone between the back and the ventral abdominal wall. Anatomically, this region includes the muscular layers of the abdominal wall (external oblique, internal oblique, and transversus abdominis), as well as the thoracolumbar fascia dorsally.
It overlies abdominal structures such as the loops of the jejunum and colon and, depending on the species, part of the kidneys or the cecum.
The morphology and thickness of the lateral abdominal region vary among species: in dogs and cats, the flanks are soft and easily depressible; in ruminants, the region is tense and convex due to the large volume of the rumen; in horses, the flanks are long and relatively flat; in humans, the region corresponds to the “flanks” and contributes to the delineation of the right and left lateral abdominal regions.
References
Dyce KM, Sack WO, Wensing CJG. Textbook of Veterinary Anatomy. 5th ed. St. Louis: Elsevier; 2017.
König HE, Liebich HG, editors. Veterinary Anatomy of Domestic Mammals: Textbook and Colour Atlas. 6th ed. Stuttgart: Thieme; 2020.
Evans HE, de Lahunta A. Miller’s Anatomy of the Dog. 4th ed. St. Louis: Elsevier; 2013.
