▼This page is a structure entry for the SELF Tissue Database.
It documents the component tissues, anatomical relationships, and surgical context of this structure to support low-cost, reproducible surgical simulator development.
Cross-section through the anterior abdominal wall, labelled rectus muscle, linea alba, peritoneum, transversalis fascia, obliquus externus, obliquus internus and transversus.
Cross-section of the anterior abdominal wall showing the rectus, the three flat muscle layers, transversalis fascia and peritoneum meeting at the linea alba.
License: Public domain by Henry Vandyke Carter

Abdominal Wall — seven-layer anatomical structure that surgeons penetrate in every abdominal approach.

Component Tissues

Tissue Layer/Position Key Properties
SkinSuperficial. OutermostEpidermis and dermis. First tactile resistance
Subcutaneous fatDeep to skinVariable with BMI. Compressible layer
Scarpa's fasciaDeep to subcutaneous fatFirst distinct "pop" on incision. Membranous layer
Rectus sheath anterior layerDeep to Scarpa'sAponeurotic. Holds sutures
Rectus abdominis muscleDeep to anterior rectus sheathCompressible. Variable thickness
Transversalis fasciaDeep to muscleFinal distinct "pop". Critical landmark
PeritoneumDeepest. Visceral boundaryTranslucent. Final layer before peritoneal cavity


References

    Sources consulted for this page but not cited at a specific claim:

    Simulators

    Abdominal wall simulation is incorporated in:

    Page data
    Keywords abdominal wall, anatomical layers, peritoneum, surgical access, fascia
    Authors Arturopelayo
    License CC-BY-SA-4.0
    Language English (en)
    Related 1 subpages, 5 pages link here
    Redirects TissueDB/Tissues/Abdominal Wall, TissueDB/Structures/Anterior Abdominal Wall, TissueDB/Structures/Abdominal Parietes, TissueDB/Structures/Ventral Body Wall, TissueDB/Structures/Belly
    Views 57 page views (analytics)
    Created January 25, 2026 by Arturo Pelayo
    Last edit August 17, 2026 by StandardWikitext bot
    Cite as Arturopelayo (2026). "TissueDB/Structures/Abdominal Wall". Appropedia. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
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