What it means
Two imaginary lines cross at the navel and divide the belly into the right upper, left upper, right lower and left lower quadrants (RUQ, LUQ, RLQ, LLQ). The liver and gallbladder are mainly in the right upper quadrant and the appendix in the right lower. The buttock is also divided into quadrants to find injection sites.
For the nurse
Listen for bowel sounds in all four quadrants, and describe where pain or a finding is by quadrant.
At a glance
| Abbreviations | RUQ, LUQ, RLQ, LLQ |
|---|---|
| Spanish | cuadrante |
| Also written | quadrants |
Related terms
auscultation
Listening to the sounds inside the body, usually with a stethoscope.
abdominal pain
Pain felt anywhere in the belly, between the chest and the groin.