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caudal

Caudal means situated towards the lower end of the body, literally towards the tail. It is the opposite of cranial. The liver lies caudal to the diaphragm.

Latin cauda = tail

towards the coccyx, inferior

caudal, inferior

The term comes from comparative anatomy: in four-legged animals, caudal really does point towards the tail. In upright humans the direction corresponds to the coccyx.

In anaesthesia, caudal anaesthesia is a technique in which the anaesthetic is given through the sacral hiatus at the lower end of the sacrum.

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