Anatomical characterisation of surgical procedures in the Read Thesaurus.

Each concept in the surgical operations chapter of the Read Thesaurus has been analysed to determine its anatomical site component. The underlying structure of this chapter and its relationship to the anatomy chapter are explored. The defined anatomical sites have been included as atomic maps in the Read Code template table, one of the key component files of the Thesaurus, relevant features of which are described. The analysis methodology is outlined and the value of an anatomically characterised surgical procedure terminology is discussed together with the implications of semantically defining a wider range of characteristics of surgical procedures.