Meaning & use
regional anatomy
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablemedical
The study of the body part by part, looking at everything found in one area, such as the neck or the leg.
Grammar: Usually used without 'a'; compare with systemic anatomy.
Patterns
- study regional anatomy
- regional anatomy of something
Surgeons rely on regional anatomy to know what lies beneath each cut.
In regional anatomy, the arm is studied with its muscles, nerves and vessels together.
Our first dissection class covered the regional anatomy of the thorax.
Common combinations
- study regional anatomy
- Medical students study regional anatomy by dissecting one area at a time.
- regional anatomy of the head
- The regional anatomy of the head is complex.
- textbook of regional anatomy
- She bought a textbook of regional anatomy.
- regional anatomy approach
- A regional anatomy approach suits surgeons.
- regional versus systemic anatomy
- The course contrasts regional versus systemic anatomy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- topographic anatomy
- Topographic anatomy is almost the same, but it stresses the location of structures relative to one another.
- surface anatomy
- Surface anatomy deals only with features visible or felt through the skin, so it is narrower.
Opposites
Word family
- anatomy noun
- the structure of the body, or the study of it
- anatomical adjective
- relating to body structure
- anatomist noun
- a specialist in anatomy
- regional adjective
- relating to a particular area
Commonly confused: regional anatomy or systemic anatomy?
regional anatomy vs systemic anatomy
Systemic anatomy groups structures by body system, such as the nervous system, whereas regional anatomy groups them by area.
Practice
A student studies everything found in the abdomen together. Which approach is this?
Choose one answer.
Studying all structures in one body area is regional anatomy. Systemic anatomy would follow a single system such as the digestive system through the whole body.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “regional anatomy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.