Assistant Professor Samuel Merritt University Oakland, California, United States
Abstract Body : Anatomical variations are often underappreciated when teaching gross anatomy at the professional and graduate levels. Anatomical variation is a presentation of body structure with morphology different from that classically described in anatomical texts. These variants often have no impact on the normal function of the region or structure but can be beneficial for interpreting radiological images and performing certain procedures. Cadaveric dissection is the most commonly used and recommended learning tool for teaching anatomy in medical schools, but teaching variations varies in anatomy courses. There are several reasons for the exclusion or limited discussion of variation taught, including an abundance of material required to be covered in a limited time. Literature focused on the benefits of teaching variations has illustrated that, especially in medical education, variations can increase anatomical competence and decrease medical errors. This study aimed to discuss the role of variations in teaching anatomy, including in embryology, gross anatomy, and function. We recorded the degree of variation within one structure, the subscapular artery, in 40 cadavers. The cadavers were utilized in teaching anatomy to various health science programs including physician assistant, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, and podiatry. In the teaching lab, variations were indicated to students but were not utilized in any graded portion of the lab. A literature search was conducted to understand and illustrate the discussion and descriptions of variations in subscapular arterial branching in a teaching or case study context. This study is unique in combining data in comparison with qualitative discussion of variation. Of the 40 cadavers,15 cadavers displayed unilateral or bilateral variations of the subscapular artery. The most common branching pattern variations were observed in the second and third parts of the axillary artery. Much of the literature discussing subscapular artery variation used multiple descriptions for similar branching patterns and no standard nomenclature. Only one anatomical text mentions the prevalence of variations in subscapular artery branching patterns (Detton, 2021). The authors concluded that limited resources exist for teaching anatomical variation, and there may be a need to incorporate more anatomical variations into anatomy curriculum. This is significant as unfamiliar anatomical variation has been shown to factor into medical errors, compromising patient care. The question that remains is whether anatomical variations increased or are anatomical variations missed and not recorded during cadaveric dissection courses.
