Image Description:

Downward Movement of Liver and Spleen on Inspiration

This illustration shows the movement of the organs during a deep breath, when the diaphragm, the large dome-shaped muscle that sits beneath the lungs, contracts and moves downward. This pushes the abdominal organs, including the liver and spleen, down toward the belly.

This movement is entirely normal and is something clinicians deliberately use to their advantage during a physical examination. Because the liver and spleen sit partly tucked behind the lower rib cage at rest, they can be difficult to feel. When a patient is asked to take a deep breath during an abdominal examination, the downward shift of these organs brings them below the rib margin and within reach of the examiner's hands, making it much easier to assess their size, shape, and surface texture.

Image File Sizes:

Anatomy Visible in the Medical Illustration Includes:

heart, diaphragm, liver, stomach, spleen, kidney.

Image created by:

Joanna Culley