Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Laboratory Medicine (PALM), West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA.
Anat Sci Int. 2022 Sep;97(4):323-346. doi: 10.1007/s12565-022-00674-7. Epub 2022 Jun 15.
What exactly is a vulva? The question remains unresolved. Some sources consider the clitoris, labia, mons pubis, perineum, or vagina to be components of the vulva, while other sources do not. Indeed, disagreement exists among international anatomical and clinical societies with regard to what precise structures form the human vulva. The obfuscation regarding the anatomy of the vulva and, likewise, inconsistencies in vulva-related anatomical terminology have adversely affected communication, research, and healthcare. Therefore, this review was undertaken to provide a comprehensive and critical analysis regarding the past, present, and potential future of vulvar anatomy and vulva-related anatomical terminology. The review reveals that confusion regarding the specific gross anatomical structures that form the vulva has persisted for thousands of years. The review provides novel information regarding the etymology of vulva, contributes important historical context regarding vulva, and gives details regarding related anatomical terminology including clitoris, hymen, labia majora, labia minora, mons pubis, pudendum, pudendum femininum/muliebre, uterus, vagina, et cetera. The review highlights disagreement regarding what specific structures comprise a vulva, identifies sexual bias in anatomical terminology and among noteworthy anatomical resources, and offers novel perspectives regarding anatomical terminology-especially anatomical terminology that relates to the external genitalia. What specific anatomical structures comprise the vulva? This review provides a comprehensive and critical analysis regarding the past, present, and potential future of vulvar anatomy and vulva-related anatomical terminology.
外阴究竟是什么？这个问题仍未得到解决。一些来源认为阴蒂、阴唇、阴阜、会阴或阴道是外阴的组成部分，而其他来源则不这样认为。事实上，国际解剖学和临床学会在哪些确切的结构构成人类外阴方面存在分歧。外阴解剖结构的混淆，以及外阴相关解剖学术语的不一致，对外阴解剖结构的混淆，以及外阴相关解剖学术语的不一致，对外阴解剖结构的混淆，以及外阴相关解剖学术语的不一致，对沟通、研究和医疗保健产生了不利影响。因此，本综述旨在对外阴解剖学和外阴相关解剖学术语的过去、现在和潜在未来进行全面和批判性分析。综述表明，关于形成外阴的特定大体解剖结构的具体内容已经存在了数千年的困惑。该综述提供了有关外阴词源的新信息，为外阴提供了重要的历史背景，并详细介绍了相关解剖学术语，包括阴蒂、处女膜、大阴唇、小阴唇、阴阜、外阴、女性外阴/女性外阴、子宫、阴道等。综述强调了对于哪些特定结构构成外阴存在分歧，指出了解剖学术语中的性偏见，以及在重要的解剖学资源中存在的性偏见，并对外科术语提出了新的观点，尤其是与外生殖器相关的解剖学术语。外阴具体由哪些解剖结构组成？本综述对外阴解剖学和外阴相关解剖学术语的过去、现在和潜在未来进行了全面和批判性分析。
