Peripheral

Author: Edwin Ocran, MBChB, MSc •
Last reviewed: October 30, 2023
Reading time: 1 minute

Peripheral is a directional term that describes the location of a structure as being away from the center of the body. It also refers to a structure that is situated on the edge in relation to the center of an organ or cavity.

The opposite term of peripheral is central, which denotes a structure that is positioned in the middle of the body, organ or cavity.

For example, the ribs are peripheral to the heart. As well, the limbs are peripheral to the trunk.

Terminology	English: Peripheral Latin: Periphericus Synonyms: Outer, external
Examples	Peripheral nerves, peripheral vision

Learn all the directional terms and body planes with the following study unit:

Sources

All content published on Kenhub is reviewed by medical and anatomy experts. The information we provide is grounded on academic literature and peer-reviewed research. Kenhub does not provide medical advice. You can learn more about our content creation and review standards by reading our content quality guidelines.

Drake RL, Vogl AW, Mitchell WMA. Gray’s anatomy for students. 4th ed. 2020.

Moore, K. L., Dalley, A. F., & Agur, A. (2017). Clinically oriented anatomy (8th ed.). Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Standring, S. (2016). Gray's Anatomy (41st ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.

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