Abdominal wall

The abdominal wall represents the boundaries of the abdominal cavity. The abdominal wall is split into the posterior (back), lateral (sides) and anterior (front) walls.

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There is a common set of layers covering and forming all the walls: the deepest being the extraperitoneal fat, the parietal peritoneum, and a layer of fascia which has different names over where it covers (eg transversalis, psoas fascia).

Superficial to these, but not present in the posterior wall are the three layers of muscle, the transversus abdominis (tranvserse abdominal muscle), the internal (obliquus internus) and the external oblique (obliquus externus).

Layers of anterior abdominal wall

In human anatomy, the layers of the abdominal wall are (from superficial to deep):

• Skin
• Fascia
  • Camper's fascia - fatty superficial layer
  • Scarpa's fascia - deep fibrous layer
• Muscle
  • External oblique muscle
  • Internal oblique muscle
  • Transverse abdominal muscle
• Fascia transversalis
• Peritoneum

• there's NO deep abdominal fascia not to restrict abdominal distention e.g. respiration and pregnancy

Inner surface

The surface contains several ligaments separated by fossae:

See also

• Peritoneum
• Human abdomen
• Terms for anatomical location
• Abdominal exercise