Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.
Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2021 Aug;225(2):169.e1-169.e16. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2021.02.033. Epub 2021 Mar 9.
Anatomic terminology in both written and verbal forms has been shown to be inaccurate and imprecise.
Here, we aimed to (1) review published anatomic terminology as it relates to the posterior female pelvis, posterior vagina, and vulva; (2) compare these terms to "Terminologia Anatomica," the internationally standardized terminology; and (3) compile standardized anatomic terms for improved communication and understanding.
From inception of the study to April 6, 2018, MEDLINE database was used to search for 40 terms relevant to the posterior female pelvis and vulvar anatomy. Furthermore, 11 investigators reviewed identified abstracts and selected those reporting on posterior female pelvic and vulvar anatomy for full-text review. In addition, 11 textbook chapters were included in the study. Definitions of all pertinent anatomic terms were extracted for review.
Overall, 486 anatomic terms were identified describing the vulva and posterior female pelvic anatomy, including the posterior vagina. "Terminologia Anatomica" has previously accepted 186 of these terms. Based on this literature review, we proposed the adoption of 11 new standardized anatomic terms, including 6 regional terms (anal sphincter complex, anorectum, genital-crural fold, interlabial sulcus, posterior vaginal compartment, and sacrospinous-coccygeus complex), 4 structural terms (greater vestibular duct, anal cushions, nerve to the levator ani, and labial fat pad), and 1 anatomic space (deep postanal space). In addition, the currently accepted term rectovaginal fascia or septum was identified as controversial and requires further research and definition before continued acceptance or rejection in medical communication.
This study highlighted the variability in the anatomic nomenclature used in describing the posterior female pelvis and vulva. Therefore, we recommended the use of standardized terminology to improve communication and education across medical and anatomic disciplines.
书面和口头形式的解剖学术语已被证明是不准确和不精确的。
在这里，我们旨在：（1）审查与女性后骨盆、后阴道和外阴相关的已发表解剖学术语；（2）将这些术语与国际标准化术语“解剖学术语”进行比较；（3）编写标准化解剖学术语，以促进沟通和理解。
从研究开始到 2018 年 4 月 6 日，使用 MEDLINE 数据库搜索与女性后骨盆和外阴解剖学相关的 40 个术语。此外，11 名调查员审查了确定的摘要，并选择了报告女性后骨盆和外阴解剖学的摘要进行全文审查。此外，还包括 11 个教科书章节。提取所有相关解剖学术语的定义进行审查。
总体而言，共确定了 486 个描述外阴和女性后骨盆解剖结构的解剖学术语，包括后阴道。“解剖学术语”之前已接受了其中的 186 个术语。基于这篇文献综述，我们建议采用 11 个新的标准化解剖学术语，包括 6 个区域术语（肛门括约肌复合体、肛门直肠、生殖器-股皱襞、阴唇间沟、后阴道隔和骶骨-尾骨复合体）、4 个结构术语（大前庭导管、肛门垫、阴部内神经和阴唇脂肪垫）和 1 个解剖间隙（深部肛后间隙）。此外，目前被接受的术语直肠阴道筋膜或隔被认为存在争议，在继续在医学交流中接受或拒绝之前，需要进一步的研究和定义。
本研究强调了描述女性后骨盆和外阴的解剖学术语的可变性。因此，我们建议使用标准化术语来改善医学和解剖学学科之间的沟通和教育。
