Demystifying anatomical variations- Education and clinical perspectives

Abstract

The plethora of anatomical variations in scientific literature has made it very difficult for health care professionals like surgeons and interventionists to remember anatomical variations during the procedure and there are high chances that the variations they are going to find during a procedure will always be different from the one that is already reported in some or the other way. Finding similarities and dissimilarities with previously reported versions of variations entirely depends on experience and education of interventionists. The continuous addition of variations on one side adding to our existing scientific knowledge but on other side It is almost impractical and herculean task to remember all variations and continuous addition making it more difficult to distinguish the significant from not so significant facts and apply these facts in clinical practice. Evidence based Anatomy can do justice to this situation but robust studies related to anatomical variations are still lacking as we have plenty of case reports related to anatomical variations having many scientific flaws. As an academic exercise reporting anatomical variations may be fine but in the real world such things cause confusion and affect decision-making. We must try and learn to draw a line and avoid adding gibberish to scientific literature as an extension of our professed moral duty towards science.