Reporting anatomical variations: Should unified standards and protocol (checklist) for anatomical studies and case reports be established?

Abstract

Although reporting anatomical variations has a long tradition, the quality of reports on anatomical variations varies considerably. Modern anatomical case reports should include in-depth morphological analysis and involve a wide range of scientific tools that could complement and expand the knowledge of the specific anatomical variant. This report aims to highlight the opportunities of modern research techniques in reporting anatomical variations. The main goal is to draw attention to the need for research in the spirit of evidence-based anatomy and to provide a proposed checklist that can inspire researchers to study and report anatomical variations in a more sophisticated manner. There is a need for a generally accepted protocol (checklist) for reporting anatomical variations in the spirit of evidence-based anatomy. Such a checklist could have a major impact on improving the quality and standardizing the way anatomical case reports are reported.