Teaching Sectional Anatomy With Sheet-Plastinated Sections, Alexander Lane, Triton College, River Grove, IL
Plastinated human body sections, from Carolina Biological Supply Co., were photographed. Four photographs of each section were printed and one of four anatomical systems (units) [musculoskeletal, neurovascular, visceral, and enclosing] was labeled on each photograph. These labeled photographs were the primary teaching aid in the sectional anatomy course. On selected transverse (axial) sections, organ location was recorded (in mm) with regard to the junction of median and midaxillary lines. In addition, many organs were located using the clock face analogy, ie. On a cross section of the thorax, the sternum was assigned the 12:00 o'clock position and the vertebral body the 6:00 o'clock position. Undergraduate students, with career goals in radiographic technology (MRI, CT and Ultrasound) have been the primary target groups for this course. With rapid expansion of these technologies, which display the body in clinical sectional images, sectional anatomy is the main support course for the computerized body scanning systems. Course prerequisite is six semester hours of anatomy and physiology. A regional approach to anatomy, which encourages three-dimensional thought, better prepares students for sectional anatomy. In sectional anatomy, the body is presented in three views [cross, coronal (frontal), and sagittal sections]. The study of sectional anatomy enables medical imaging personnel to pinpoint structures seen in clinical sectional images (MRI, CT and Ultrasound).
