Katana VentraIP

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

plana sagittalia

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

The terms 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]

median plane

[5]

Examples of sagittal planes include:


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 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]

Sectional planes of the brain

Sectional planes of the brain

Identical twins at a gestational age of 15 weeks, shown in coronal and sagittal plane, respectively

Identical twins at a gestational age of 15 weeks, shown in coronal and sagittal plane, respectively

Brain anatomy (sagittal)

Brain anatomy (sagittal)

Anatomical terms of location

Coronal plane

Transverse plane