ruq

RUQ stands for the Right Upper Quadrant, one of the four anatomical quadrants used to describe regions of the abdomen in clinical assessment and imaging. The RUQ is defined by a vertical plane along the midline of the body and a horizontal plane through the umbilicus, placing the right upper portion of the abdomen above and to the right of the midline.

The RUQ contains several major organs and structures, most notably the liver, which occupies much of this region, and the gallbladder, embedded on the liver’s inferior surface. Also located in the RUQ are portions of the stomach and duodenum, the head of the pancreas, the right kidney and adrenal gland, the hepatic flexure of the colon, and part of the ascending colon and transverse colon. Because of this arrangement, disease processes in these organs commonly present with right upper quadrant findings.

Clinically, RUQ pain or tenderness prompts evaluation for conditions such as biliary disease (for example, cholecystitis or biliary colic), liver diseases (such as hepatitis or hepatomegaly), pancreatitis involving the pancreatic head, duodenal pathology, and right kidney or urinary tract disorders. A classic examination sign related to RUQ pathology is Murphy’s sign, which indicates gallbladder inflammation when deep palpation of the RUQ elicits inspiratory arrest.

Diagnostic approaches include physical examination, laboratory tests (liver function tests, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, amylase/lipase, renal function), and imaging. Abdominal ultrasound is commonly the initial modality for suspected biliary or hepatic disease, with CT or MRI used for further evaluation as needed.