Towards a new terminology for clinical anatomy, with special reference to the heart

This article presents a new approach to the terminology of cardiac anatomy. It grew out of the Clinical Terms Project, which was initiated by the United Kingdom's Department of Health, and which aimed to produce a thesaurus of preferred terms with which to record every aspect of health care. We have attempted to rectify some of what we see as the shortcomings of the Nomina Anatomica with respect to the heart. Our approach has five, main features. First, expansion of the list of names to meet the needs of practicing physicians in recording both anatomical aspects, and functional assessment, of the heart. Second, a thematic, rather than the classical "four chambered," approach. Third, the identification of preferred or core terms, which are usually short, easily abbreviated, well understood, and widely used but often contain little detail. Fourth, the amplification of core terms by one or more qualifiers, each of which has one or more attributes, with dependent values. Fifth, the lists are constructed in English, not in Latin, and at present refer only to the morphologically normal heart. There is no claim, implicit or otherwise, that our current sets of preferred terms are either all embracing or definitive; manifestly they are not. We believe, however, that they represent a sensible first statement in what, we hope, will be a continuing dialogue. The use of the terminology will be mandatory within the United Kingdom's National Health Service and, it is hoped, it will also be used in preclinical and clinical education.