The Abdominal Wall

Abstract

It is customary to consider the abdomen and pelvis separately but in many ways this is artificial since their walls, contents and cavities are continuous with each other. Their upper and lower limits are muscular. Above, where the abdominal cavity extends upwards within the rib cage, the diaphragm separates the abdominal from the thoracic cavity. Inferiorly the pelvic diaphragm separates the pelvic cavity from the perineum. A large part of the abdominal walls is muscular, especially anteriorly and laterally. Posteriorly the lumbar vertebrae are in the midline and there are muscles on each side of the vertebrae.