Asked by muffy

is the liver inferior or lateral to the lungs
Answered by Ms. Sue
Do you know the meanings of the words "inferior" and "lateral?"

How do they apply to the relative positions of the lungs and liver?
Answered by muffy
Yes, I do know the meanings however I am confused because they both mean that they are away from the midline of the body
Inferior is from the head down
lateral is away from the mid

I'm thinking lateral but still not positive can you clear it up for me?
Answered by Ms. Sue
Doesn't lateral also mean side-by-side? Doesn't inferior also mean below?

I think the question is asking if the lungs and liver are next to each other or if the liver is under the lungs.
Answered by MathMate
From Wikipedia:
"It (the liver) is located in the right upper quadrant of the abdominal cavity, resting just below the diaphragm."

Is the lung above or below the diaphram?
Answered by muffy
The question states
the lung is ______ to the liver

I think it is inferior
Answered by MathMate
Your original post asked about the position of the liver relative to the lungs. Apparently the question asked for the position of the lungs with respect to the liver. You have to figure out which one is on top before answering.

Look at the illustration of the diaphram
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoracic_diaphragm
before you decide on the answer, not forgetting that the liver is below the diaphram.
Answered by muffy
so if the liver is below the diaphram and the lungs are above the diaphram isn't it inferior. Am I looking at this incorrectly?
Answered by Ms. Sue
Yes. The liver is inferior to the lungs.
Answered by MathMate
"the lung is ______ to the liver."

Notice that in the question the subject is the lung. So if you fill in the blank, inferior is not correct.
Answered by muffy
OMG!!!! I can't believe I did that, thanks so much for your help
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