Book 4 - Self Instructional Manual for Cancer Registrars - SEER ...

Positional TermsSECTION BTERMS USED TO INDICATE BODY LOCATION AND POSITIONThere are a number of words commonly used to describe body location such as, posterior (in backof), anterior (in front of), lateral (at the side of), and medial (near the middle of). There are alsopref'txes which are commonly used to describe location and position. As examples, the prefix bimeans "both" or "double," therefore, the term bilateral means "affecting both (two) sides." The prefixpara means '_oeside, near or adjacent," sub means "under," and supra means "above or over."To understand the verbal descriptions contained within a medical record, it is necessary to knowthe meaning of words and prefLxes which refer to location and position. This will enable you toabstract more accurately the reports contained in a medical record.Some positional terms refer to the location of an anatomical part relative to another body partor location. The reference may be general; for example, cephal(o) is used as a prefix to denote"towards the head." Caudal is often used as a prefix to denote "towards the tail (feet)."Sometimes the location reference may be quite specific. For example, the reference may denotea body organ or a specific structure such as the heart, cardi(o), or the rectum, proct(o).There is no need for you to memorize long lists of these terms. As you encounter them, lookthem up in your medical dictionary or in a book on medical terminology. Before long, you will befamiliar with most of them. It is recommended that every registry purchase at least one book onmedical terminology.Anatomical PositionBy world-wide agreement, the position of body organs and structures is described as though thebody were in anatomicalposition, that is, standing, looking straight ahead, arms at the side with palmsof the hands facing frontward (see Figure 1A).The following list gives the "directional planes" and some of the relative positional terms used todescribe anatomical location. You are most apt to encounter these terms while reading an operativerecord (report of surgery). Also, these terms often are used in the physical examination (see Figure1A).9