CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF ANATOMICAL VARIATIONS

Abstract

Anatomical variations may influence predisposition to diseases, symptomatology, clinical examination, investigation and patient management including operative surgery (Willan and Humpherson, 1999). Accordingly, accurate knowledge of variability in human morphology is important to improve diagnostic and interventional performance especially against the background of contemporary imaging techniques such as echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging, computerized tomography, endoscopy; open and laparoscopic surgery (Jones et al., 2002). Indeed, there are reports that a substantial proportion of clinical malpractice may be attributed to ignorance of anatomical variations. This realization has informed inclusion of anatomical variations among the aims to be considered in medical curricula, renewed research interests and encouragement of anatomists to publish articles on this subject in the era of molecular biology and genetics (Sanudo et al., 2003). Indeed many journals, such as Clinical Anatomy, have devoted a whole section - compendium of anatomical variations - to this subject. In tandem with this, the second issue of this African Journal of Anatomy has devoted 3 of the 4 case reports and 3 of the 6 original articles to anatomical variations. Although nearly all possible human anatomical variations have been reported and catalogued (Bergman, 2011), their combinations continue to arouse interest. Secondly, there appear to be ethnic differences in the frequency of these variations. Consequently, there is need for continuous appraisal for emphasis and to encourage anatomists and clinicians to beware of their existence.