Inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the use of anatomical terminology in surgical disciplines

Anatomical terminology has developed over a long period of time and has undergone several revisions with the aim of unifying the nomenclature. The first systematization was created under the name Basiliensia Nomina Anatomica in 1895, the first international anatomical nomenclature Parisiensia Nomina Anatomica was adopted in 1955 and was subsequently modified until the Terminologia Anatomica version (1998). The latest revision of Terminologia Anatomica 2 (2019) caused controversy due to changes in established terms, leading to a split in opinion among experts. The Czech Anatomical Society continues to acknowledge the Terminologia Anatomica first published in 1998. Czech anatomical terminology developed less dramatically, the first systematic attempts at Czech medical terms date from the 14th-16th centuries. Significant contributions were made during the national revival and thanks to the efforts of personalities such as Wáclaw Staněk, whose work on Czech anatomical nomenclature was unfortunately not completed. The last attempt at unification was the publication of the Czech Anatomical Nomenclature in 2010. Clinical medicine did not have time enough to follow the frequent changes in anatomical nomenclature, which led to the mixing of different versions of the terms and the emergence of "clinical dialect". This resulted in inconsistencies, for example, in the naming of lymph nodes. Our contribution provides an overview of the use of older (obsolete/invalid) anatomical terms, both Czech and Latin; examples of introduced Latin terms, inaccurate use of terms, clinical simplification, spelling errors, and missing anatomical terms. Confusion in terminology can lead to misunderstandings in communication between physicians themselves, physicians and patients as well as teachers and students. Therefore, the anatomical nomenclature should be simple, clear, unanimous, uniform and widely accepted in order to serve for clear communication and prevent possible misunderstandings, errors or complications.