Transverse plane
A transverse plane is a plane that is rotated 90° from two other planes.[1]
Anatomy
| Transverse plane | |
|---|---|
 The standard anatomical planes of both a human and a goat displaying three anatomical planes:
the midsagittal plane
the transverse plane
the dorsal plane, often called the coronal or frontal plane in human anatomy | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | plana transversalia |
| TA98 | A01.2.00.006 |
| TA2 | 52 |
| FMA | 12247 71928, 12247 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
The transverse plane is an anatomical plane that is perpendicular to the sagittal plane and the dorsal plane.[2] It is also called the axial plane or horizontal plane, especially in human anatomy, but horizontal plane can be misleading with other animals. The plane splits the body into a cranial (head) side and caudal (tail) side,[3] so in humans the plane will be horizontal (dividing the body into superior and inferior sections[4]) but in quadrupeds it will be vertical.
Human anatomy
Clinically relevant anatomical planes
- Transverse thoracic plane
- Xiphosternal plane (or xiphosternal junction)
- Transpyloric plane
- Subcostal plane
- Umbilical plane (or transumbilical plane)
- Supracristal plane
- Intertubercular plane (or transtubercular plane)
- Interspinous plane
Associated structures
- The transverse thoracic plane
- Plane through T4 & T5 vertebral junction and sternal angle of Louis.
- Marks the:
- Attachment of costal cartilage of rib 2 at the sternal angle;
- Aortic arch (beginning and end);
- Upper margin of SVC;
- Thoracic duct crossing;
- Tracheal bifurcation;
- Pulmonary trunk bifurcation;
- The xiphosternal plane (a.k.a. xiphosternal junction)
- Anterior, inferior limit of thoracic cavity;
- Marks the:
- Superior surface of the liver;
- Respiratory diaphragm;
- Inferior border of the heart;
- The transpyloric plane
- Plane located halfway between the jugular notch and the upper border of the symphysis pubis;
- Typically located at the lower border of L1;
- Cuts through the pylorus and the tips of the ninth costal cartilages;
- The subcostal plane
- Transverse plane through the inferior border of costal margin;
- Typically located at the superior border of L3, or transects L3;
- The umbilical plane (or transumbilical plane)
- Located at the level of L3/L4 vertebral junction or IV disc;
- The supracristal plane
- Located at the level of L4;
- Marks bifurcation of aorta;
- Most superior aspect of iliac crest;
- The intertubercular plane (a.k.a. Transtubercular plane)
- Located at the level of L5;
- Marks origin of IVC;
- The interspinous plane
- Transverse plane which transverses the anterior superior iliac spines.
- Typically located at the level of S1.
Engineering usages
- With gears a transverse plane is perpendicular to the axial plane and to the pitch plane.[5]
- With an MRI machine the plane perpendicular to the direction of the main magnetic field is called the transverse plane.[6]
See also
- Anatomical terms of location
- Horizontal plane
- Coronal plane
- Sagittal plane
References
- ^ "TRANSVERSE English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary". Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
- ^ "Introduction". Collection at Bartleby.com. 20 October 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ Kardong, Kenneth V. (2019). Vertebrates: comparative anatomy, function, evolution (Eighth, international student ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. p. 16. ISBN 9781260092042.
- ^ "1.4D: Body Planes and Sections". Medicine LibreTexts. 2018-07-18. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
- ^ Gear Nomenclature, Definition of Terms with Symbols. American Gear Manufacturers Association. 2005. p. 72. ISBN 1-55589-846-7. OCLC 65562739. ANSI/AGMA 1012-G05.
- ^ Pai, Aparna; Shetty, Rohil; Hodis, Brendan; Chowdhury, Yuvraj S. (2025). "Magnetic Resonance Imaging Physics". StatPearls Publishing.