Variation in the representation of human anatomy within digital resources: Implications for data integration

Area of Science:

• Anatomical representation
• Clinical informatics
• Digital health

Background:

• Clinical informatics relies on anatomical representation, often using anatomical terms.
• Ambiguities in anatomical naming and body partitioning complicate data integration.
• Inconsistent representations hinder interlinking anatomical resources and clinical data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and understand variations in digital human anatomy representations.
• To compare different types of digital anatomical resources for their modeling approaches.
• To highlight the significance of anatomical representation consistency in clinical informatics.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of five digital resources: one formal ontology, one terminology, and three 3D graphics applications.
• Utilized 3D graphics applications to reveal explicit anatomical boundaries and partitions.
• Focused on identifying differences in anatomical modeling not apparent in text-based resources.

Main Results:

• Significant differences were observed in the representation and partitioning of anatomical structures across the evaluated digital resources.
• 3D graphics applications provided a more explicit view of anatomical modeling variations compared to text-based resources.
• Variations in anatomical representations were categorized based on the comparative analysis.

Conclusions:

• Inconsistencies in digital anatomical representations pose challenges for clinical informatics.
• Explicit, boundary-defined representations are crucial for understanding anatomical modeling differences.
• Addressing these representational variations is vital for advancing clinical informatics and data integration.