Right upper quadrant (abdomen)

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The right upper quadrant of the human abdomen, often abbreviated as RUQ, is used to refer to a portion of the abdomen that allows doctors to localise pain and tenderness, scars, lumps and other items of interest. The RUQ extends from the median plane to the right of the patient, and from the umbilical plane to the right ribcage.

The term is not used in comparative anatomy, since most other animals do not stand erect. The equivalent term for animals is 'right anterior quadrant'.

[edit] Clinical significance

The RUQ may be painful and/or tender in such conditions as hepatitis, cholecystitis, and peptic ulcer.

[edit] See also

• Murphy's sign

[edit] External links

• http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/modules/abdominal_viscera_module/abdominal_01.html