Abdominal wall
Body cavities
Diagram of sheath of Rectus above the arcuate line.
Gray's	subject #118 408

The abdominal wall represents the boundaries of the abdominal cavity. The abdominal wall is split into the posterior (back), lateral (sides) and anterior (front) walls.

There is a common set of layers covering and forming all the walls: the deepest being the extraperitoneal fat, the parietal peritoneum, and a layer of fascia which has different names over where it covers (eg transversalis, psoas fascia).

Superficial to these, but not present in the posterior wall are the three layers of muscle, the transversus abdominis (transverse abdominal muscle), the internal (obliquus internus) and the external oblique (obliquus externus).

Contents 1 Layers of anterior abdominal wall 2 Inner surface 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] Layers of anterior abdominal wall

In human anatomy, the layers of the abdominal wall are (from superficial to deep):

• Skin
• Fascia
  • Camper's fascia - fatty superficial layer.
  • Scarpa's fascia - deep fibrous layer.
• Muscle
  • Rectus abdominis
  • External oblique muscle
  • Internal oblique muscle
  • Transverse abdominal muscle
• Fascia transversalis
• Peritoneum

[edit] Inner surface

The surface contains several ligaments separated by fossae:

Ligament/fold	Remnant of	Lateral fossa	Hernia
median umbilical ligament	urachus	supravesical fossa	-
medial umbilical ligament	umbilical artery	medial inguinal fossa	direct inguinal hernia
lateral umbilical fold	inferior epigastric vessels	lateral inguinal fossa	indirect inguinal hernia

[edit] See also

• Peritoneum
• Human abdomen
• Terms for anatomical location
• Abdominal exercise

[edit] External links

• Anatomy at MUN digest/abwall
• skel&wallsabd at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) - "Skeleton of the Abdomen", Wesley Norman, PhD, DSc
• MeSH Abdominal+Wall
• Anterolateral Abdominal Wall - University of Edinburgh Faculty of Medicine
• Muscles of the Anterior Abdominal Wall - University of Arkansas

v • d • e Abdominopelvic cavity (TA A10, GA 4.408) Abdomen/ Abdominal cavity General Peritoneal cavity · Paracolic gutters · Paramesenteric gutters · Cystohepatic triangle · Abdominal wall (Inguinal triangle) Posterior Extraperitoneal space (Retroperitoneum) Pelvis/ Pelvic cavity Extraperitoneal space (Retropubic space)

v • d • e List of muscles of torso (TA A04.3-5, GA 4.397) Back splenius (capitis, cervicis) · erector spinae (iliocostalis, longissimus, spinalis) · latissimus dorsi transversospinales: (semispinalis dorsi, semispinalis cervicis, semispinalis capitis, multifidus, rotatores) · interspinales · intertransversarii Vertebral column: trapezius · latissimus dorsi · rhomboid (major, minor) · levator scapulae fascia: Thoracolumbar fascia Thorax intercostales (external, internal, innermost) · subcostales · transversus thoracis · levatores costarum · serratus posterior (inferior, superior) · diaphragm Thoracic cavity: pectoralis major · pectoralis minor · subclavius · serratus anterior fascia: Pectoral fascia · Clavipectoral fascia Abdominopelvic Abdomen/ wall Anterior/ lateral Abdominal external oblique · Transversus abdominis/Conjoint tendon · Rectus sheath (rectus abdominis, pyramidalis) · Arcuate line · Tendinous intersection Cremaster · Abdominal internal oblique Fascia/abdominal fascia: panniculus adiposus (Fascia of Camper) · stratum membranosum (Fascia of Scarpa) · Transversalis fascia (Interfoveolar ligament) Linea alba · Linea semilunaris · Inguinal triangle Inguinal canal (Deep inguinal ring, Superficial inguinal ring, Intercrural fibers, Crura of superficial inguinal ring) Inguinal ligament (Pectineal ligament, Lacunar ligament, Reflected ligament) Posterior quadratus lumborum · psoas major/psoas minor · iliacus  · iliopsoas fascia (Iliac fascia/Iliopectineal arch) Pelvis levator ani (iliococcygeus, pubococcygeus, puborectalis) · coccygeus fascia/pelvic fascia visceral (Rectovaginal fascia, Rectoprostatic fascia) · parietal (Obturator fascia/Tendinous arch, Piriformis fascia) floor/diaphragm: Superior fascia of pelvic diaphragm (Pubovesical ligament, Puboprostatic ligament) · Inferior fascia of pelvic diaphragm Anococcygeal body