The median sagittal plane is a vertical plane passing through the center of the body (including the navel and spine), dividing it into equal right and left halves. Planes situated to one or the other side of the median sagittal plane and parallel to it are known as sagittal planes or paramedians. A structure situated nearer to the median plane of the body than another is said to be medial. Similarly, a structure that lies farther away from the median plane than another is said to be lateral to the other.