[Terminologia anatomica: a new reference work for anatomy].

Area of Science:

• Anatomy
• Medical Terminology

Background:

• The Nomina anatomica served as the standard anatomical nomenclature until 1999.
• The International Federation of Associations of Anatomists introduced the Terminologia anatomica (TA) to update and standardize anatomical terms.
• The TA has been published in book and CD-ROM formats.

Discussion:

• The TA aims to unify anatomical terminology globally and make it more accessible to clinicians and medical scientists.
• It includes over 7500 terms, with significant additions in clinical anatomy and neuroanatomy.
• Incorrect or misleading terms have been revised, and each Latin term is linked to an English equivalent (International Anatomical Terminology - IAT).

Key Insights:

• The TA facilitates the development of national anatomical nomenclatures based on a standardized international framework.
• It presents terms organized by anatomical systems or organ tracts, with accompanying alphabetic indexes for both Latin and English terms.
• The use of eponyms is discouraged, though a list is provided for reference to older literature.

Outlook:

• The TA/IAT is adopted as the reference standard for anatomical terms in medical literature.
• Further suggestions for amendments are encouraged to ensure broad endorsement within the medical scientific community.