Novel femoral artery terminology: Integrating anatomy and clinical procedures leading to standardized intuitive nomenclature

Can AnatomicalTerms.info with its synonyms and succinct open definitions be a solution to address variations in usage of anatomical terminology?

Anatomy, the study of human structure, is foundational to medicine. Its language has a long history, with contributions from authors hailing from diverse cultures and countries, adhering to various scientific traditions, speaking different languages, and practicing medicine across a wide gamut of specialties. The resultant disparity in terms provides challenges both for students in learning and for interdisciplinary communication. We report here on a user-friendly look-up web site, "AnatomicalTerms.info" that links a Terminologica Anatomica term to alternative terms in usage: synonyms, polysemes, eponyms, homonyms, and terms in other languages. Accompanying open-source definitions are generated with the help of "Definition Machine" software, that supports creating the most concise and accessible definitions for anatomical terms, eschewing superfluous description, thus reducing cognitive load of learners of anatomy looking up terms. AnatomicalTerms.info is a readily accessible online source for both the authoritative and alternatively used terms that can accurately cross-reference and/or disambiguate anatomical structures across disciplinary and cultural divides. As such, it can serve as a useful educational and clinical resource that is also flexibly open to additions and expansion as anatomical and clinical needs dictate.

Bilateral high origin and superficial trajectory of the deep femoral artery: clinical and applied anatomy

The anatomy of the femoral triangle is explored in various approaches, ranging from pulse verification to invasive catheterization procedures. Within the femoral triangle, the deep femoral artery is one of the vessels reported to present several anatomical variations that must be considered before clinical or surgical interventions. Here, we are reporting a unique bilateral variation of the deep femoral artery for medical education purposes and reflecting on its applied, surgical, and clinical anatomy. During the dissection of the femoral triangle, we observed that the deep femoral artery originated in the vicinity of the inguinal ligament and ran in parallel with the femoral artery in a superficial trajectory on both sides of the donor. On the right side, the DFA continued superficial for 8.8 cm, with an origin of 1.2 cm inferior to the inguinal ligament. On the left side, it presented a similar anatomical arrangement, though with an origin of 1.6cm inferior to the inguinal ligament and a superficial course of 5cm. The position of the lateral circumflex femoral vein posterior to the deep femoral artery played a role in this distinctive, lengthy, and superficial presentation of the deep femoral artery. This anatomical variation directly affects surgical procedures, diagnostics, and endovascular interventions. A deep femoral artery with such a lengthy superficial trajectory can be mistakenly used for catheterization instead of the femoral artery or be injured, disrupting the main blood supply of the thigh muscles.

Twelve tips for enhancing anatomy teaching and learning using radiology

Anatomy is a keystone of many healthcare curricula and its understanding fundamental to patient care. The close relationship between clinical radiology and anatomy is well recognised and expanding. Imaging resources can be effectively integrated alongside traditional methods for learning anatomy in a resource efficient manner in order to enhance anatomy teaching. The following 12 tips have been divided into imaging tips, clinical tips and educational tips and offer practical advice and suggestions for designing and integrating radiological resources across the curriculum.