‌

Anatomy of the anterolateral abdominal wall

00:00 / 00:00

‌‌
‌
‌
‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌

Notes

Anatomy of the anterolateral abdominal wall

Figure 1: Muscles of the anterolateral abdominal wall A. Superficial B. Deeper dissection.
Figure 2: Layers of the anterolateral abdominal wall.
Figure 3: Rectus sheath. A. Sagittal view. B. Posterior view of anterior abdominal wall. Transverse sections superior (C) and inferior (D) to the arcuate line showing the structure of the rectus sheath. 
Figure 4: Posterior view of the anterolateral abdominal wall showing the umbilical peritoneal folds.
Figure 5: Arterial supply to the anterolateral abdominal wall.
Figure 6: Superficial veins of the anterolateral abdominal wall.
Figure 7: Deep veins of the anterolateral abdominal wall.
Figure 8: Dermatomes and nerves of the anterolateral abdominal wall.
Figure 9: Superficial (A.) and deep (B.) lymphatic drainage of the anterolateral abdominal wall. 
MUSCLE TABLE
Muscle
Origin
Insertion
Innervation
Action
External oblique
  • External surfaces of 5th-12th ribs

  • Linea alba
  • Pubic tubercle
  • Anterior half of iliac crest
  • Thoracoabdominal nerves (anterior rami of T7–T11 spinal nerves)
  • Subcostal nerve
  • Compresses and supports abdominal viscera
  • Flexes and rotates trunk
Internal oblique
  • Thoracolumbar fascia
  • Anterior two thirds of iliac crest
  • Connective tissue deep to lateral third of inguinal ligament
  • Inferior borders of 10th–12th ribs
  • Linea alba
  • Pecten pubis via conjoint tendon
  • Thoracoabdominal nerves
  • Subcostal nerve
  • First lumbar nerves
Transversus abdominis
  • Internal surfaces of 7th–12th costal cartilages
  • Thoracolumbar fascia
  • Iliac crest
  • Connective tissue deep to lateral third of inguinal ligament

  • Linea alba with aponeurosis of internal oblique
  • Pubic crest
  • Pecten pubis via conjoint tendon
  • Compresses and supports abdominal viscera
Rectus abdominis
  • Pubic symphysis
  • Pubic crest
  • Xiphoid process
  • 5th–7th costal cartilages
  • Thoracoabdominal nerves
  • Subcostal nerve

  • Flexes trunk
  • Compresses abdominal viscera 
  • Stabilizes tilt of pelvis

Pyramidalis
  • Anterior surface of pubis
  • Linea alba
Variable:
  • Subcostal nerve
  • Iliohypogastric nerve
  • Tenses linea alba
UNLABELLED

Sources

  1. "Surgical Staging for Treatment Planning" Principles of Gynecologic Oncology Surgery (2018)
  2. "Abdominal Muscle Strains in Professional Baseball" The American Journal of Sports Medicine (2012)
  3. "Directional specificity of postural muscles in feed-forward postural reactions during fast voluntary arm movements" Experimental Brain Research (1995)
  4. "Do Changes in Transversus Abdominis and Lumbar Multifidus During Conservative Treatment Explain Changes in Clinical Outcomes Related to Nonspecific Low Back Pain? A Systematic Review" The Journal of Pain (2014)
  5. "Thickness of Rectus Abdominis Muscle and Abdominal Subcutaneous Fat Tissue in Adult Women: Correlation with Age, Pregnancy, Laparotomy, and Body Mass Index" Archives of Plastic Surgery (2012)
  6. "Gray's Anatomy for Students" Churchill Livingstone (2004)
  7. "In Situ Tissue Regeneration" Academic Press (2016)
  8. "Raj's Practical Management of Pain" Mosby (2007)
  9. "Do various baseline characteristics of transversus abdominis and lumbar multifidus predict clinical outcomes in nonspecific low back pain? A systematic review" Pain (2013)
  10. "Rectus abdominis muscle injuries in elite handball players: management and rehabilitation" Open Access J Sports Med (2011)

Company

About us

Careers

Library

Press

Editorial Board

Blog

Support

Latest on COVID-19

Help center

Contact us

FAQ

For Institutions

Medicine (DO)

Medicine (MD)

Nurse Practitioner (NP)

Physician Assistant (PA)

Dentistry

Nursing (RN)

More

Plans

iOS app

Android app

Swag

Create custom content

Raise the Line Podcast

Elsevier

Copyright © 2024 Elsevier, its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

Cookies are used by this site.

Terms and Conditions

Privacy Policy

Cookie Notice

Sitemap

USMLE® is a joint program of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). COMLEX-USA® is a registered trademark of The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, Inc. NCLEX-RN® is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. Test names and other trademarks are the property of the respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are endorsed by nor affiliated with Osmosis or this website.

RELX