In anatomy and medicine, the term “coronal” describes a fundamental orientation for viewing the body. It represents a vertical slice through the body from one side to the other. This perspective is a reference point used by medical professionals to describe the location of organs and tissues.
Visualizing the Coronal Plane
To visualize the coronal plane, imagine a flat sheet of glass passing vertically through your body from your left ear to your right ear. This imaginary pane divides everything into a front section and a back section. Structures in front of the glass, like your nose and kneecaps, are considered anterior. Everything behind the glass, such as your shoulder blades and spine, is considered posterior.
This orientation is also frequently called the frontal plane. The word “coronal” is derived from the Latin “corona,” meaning crown or garland. This name comes from the coronal suture in the skull, a joint that runs in a similar crown-like path across the head. Picturing this suture line offers another way to remember the plane’s orientation.
For instance, a slice taken through the middle of the body would show the face, chest, and palms of the hands in the anterior section. The back of the head, the muscles of the back, and the heels would be in the posterior section.
The Three Anatomical Planes
The coronal plane is one of three primary planes used in anatomy to describe bodily locations and movements. These planes are hypothetical flat surfaces that pass through the body. Each plane is perpendicular to the other two, intersecting at right angles like the corner of a box.
A second plane is the sagittal plane, which also runs vertically but divides the body into left and right portions. If this plane runs directly through the center of the body, creating two equal halves, it is called the median or midsagittal plane. Any sagittal slice that is off-center and creates unequal left and right sections is known as a parasagittal plane.
The third orientation is the transverse plane, also called the axial or horizontal plane. This plane runs parallel to the ground, dividing the body into an upper (superior) section and a lower (inferior) section. An axial slice can be taken at any level, from the top of the head to the soles of the feet. These three planes—coronal, sagittal, and transverse—are used to navigate the three-dimensional structure of the human body.
Coronal Views in Medical Imaging
In medical imaging, the coronal plane provides a perspective for diagnosis. Technologies like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) scans can generate images of the body in any of the three anatomical planes. A physician requests a coronal view to assess specific anatomical relationships that might be unclear from other vantage points. This view is effective for visualizing structures from a front-to-back perspective.
For example, coronal images are useful for examining the paranasal sinuses, allowing a doctor to see the extent of inflammation or disease across all sinuses simultaneously. This view is also preferred for assessing the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. The front-to-back orientation helps in detecting tumors or abnormalities that could be missed in sagittal or axial views.
Clinicians also rely on coronal views to evaluate the adrenal glands, which sit atop the kidneys, and to check the alignment of the spine for conditions like scoliosis. When assessing organs in the abdomen, this perspective can reveal how they are positioned relative to one another. By combining information from all three planes, physicians can build a three-dimensional understanding of a patient’s internal anatomy, leading to a more accurate diagnosis.