Left upper abdomen: surgical anatomy

To promote clear communication, for instance, about the location of a patient's abdominal pain or a suspicious mass, anatomists and clinicians typically use imaginary lines to categorize the abdominopelvic cavity into either four quadrants or nine regions to identify organs in the cavity.
The simpler quadrants approach, which is more commonly used in medicine, subdivides the cavity with one horizontal and one vertical line that intersects at the patient's umbilicus (navel). The four...

The liver, the largest gland within the human body, is a firm and reddish-brown organ. This wedge-shaped structure weighs approximately 1.5 kg and occupies a significant portion of the right hypochondriac and epigastric regions. It extends more to the right of the body's midline than to the left.
Located under the diaphragm, the liver is almost entirely ensconced within the rib cage, providing it with substantial protection. Except for the superior most bare area, the liver's surface is...