What is the abdomen? Rationalising clinical and anatomical perspectives using formal semantics
Philip J B Brown1, Yongsheng Gao2, David Clunie3
1Classicum, Norwich, UK.
Journal of Anatomy
|January 8, 2021
Summary
The term "abdomen" has multiple meanings, causing ambiguity in anatomy and data modeling. This study clarifies abdominopelvic cavity definitions for better computer processing and clinical data accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Anatomical terminology and ontology development.
- Medical informatics and data modeling.
- Radiological anatomy and clinical practice.
Background:
- The term 'abdomen' lacks a universally agreed definition, impacting anatomical discourse, clinical records, and data modeling.
- Ambiguity in anatomical terms like 'abdomen' can lead to incorrect inferences in electronic health records and data analysis.
- Existing anatomical ontologies, such as SNOMED CT, require rigorous review to ensure semantic accuracy and optimal relationships.
Purpose of the Study:
- To resolve the ambiguity surrounding the term 'abdomen' and its related anatomical spaces.
- To establish clear semantic definitions for the abdominopelvic cavity and its subdivisions for computational use.
- To present a standardized model of regional truncal volumes suitable for computer processing and to discuss SNOMED International's solution.
Main Methods:
- Scrutinizing SNOMED CT terminology for anatomical concepts of the trunk to identify ambiguities and suboptimal relationships.
- Utilizing a panel of reference sources to review and correct errors in anatomical concept hierarchies.
- Iteratively evaluating the impact of corrections on dependent hierarchies and considering radiological perspectives.
Main Results:
- Identified significant ambiguities in the definition and usage of 'abdomen' across gross anatomy, radiological anatomy, and clinical practice.
- Discovered three complex variants in the common usage of 'abdomen', highlighting the issue of polysemy.
- Developed a logical and comprehensive model of regional truncal volumes, integrating anatomical, segmental, and cross-sectional perspectives for computer processing.
Conclusions:
- The polysemy of 'abdomen' presents challenges for accurate data interpretation and clinical decision-making.
- A rigorously modeled system of meronymic hierarchies is essential to prevent systematic errors in anatomical data.
- A proposed standard description of abdominopelvic volumes and structures is needed for discussion and adoption to improve data consistency.
Keywords:
abdomenabdominal cavityanatomybiological ontologiespelvisradiology metadatasystematized nomenclature of medicinethoraxMore Related Videos
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