What it means
One of the four areas nurses use to describe the abdomen. It holds the end of the colon (descending and sigmoid colon), loops of small bowel, and in women the left ovary and fallopian tube. "Left" means the client's left, not yours.
For the nurse
Say which quadrant a finding is in when you chart pain, tenderness, masses or bowel sounds.
In a chart
"Tenderness to palpation in the left lower quadrant; bowel sounds active."
At a glance
| Also written | LLQ |
|---|
Related terms
auscultation
Listening to the sounds inside the body, usually with a stethoscope.
palpation
Examining the body by touching and pressing with the hands and fingers.
right lower quadrant
The lower right quarter of the abdomen, when it is divided into four parts by lines crossing at the navel.