Supracristal plane (''Planum supracristale'') (or supracrestal plane) is an anatomical

transverse plane The transverse plane (also known as the horizontal plane, axial plane and transaxial plane) is an anatomical plane that divides the body into superior and inferior sections. It is perpendicular to the coronal and sagittal planes. List of c ...

lying at the upper most part of the pelvis, the

iliac crest The crest of the ilium (or iliac crest) is the superior border of the wing of ilium and the superiolateral margin of the greater pelvis. Structure The iliac crest stretches posteriorly from the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) to the poster ...

. This is usually at the level of the L4 vertebrae. It passes through the

umbilical region The umbilical region, is one of the nine regions of the abdomen. It is the region that surrounds the area around the umbilicus and is placed approximately half way between the xiphoid process and the pubic symphysis. This region of the abdomen c ...

and the left and right lumbar regions.

Clinical significance

The supracristal plane can be used as a landmark for several nerve branches, as well as an approximate marker for the umbilicus (belly button). It is also used as the divider between the lower ( left and

right Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical ...

) and upper ( left and

) quadrants of the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the to ...

(where the vertical midline divides left from right). It is also the level where the abdominal aorta bifurcates into the left and right

common iliac artery The common iliac artery is a large artery of the abdomen paired on each side. It originates from the aortic bifurcation at the level of the 4th lumbar vertebra. It ends in front of the sacroiliac joint, one on either side, and each bifurcate ...

and just superior to the union of the

common iliac veins In human anatomy, the common iliac veins are formed by the external iliac veins and internal iliac veins. The left and right common iliac veins come together in the abdomen at the level of the fifth lumbar vertebra, forming the inferior vena ...

. It can help in the identification of the level of L4/L5 where a lumbar puncture can be done.

References

Pelvis {{anatomy-stub