Terminologia Anatomica

Terminologia Anatomica (commonly abbreviated TA) is the international standard for human anatomical terminology. It is developed by the Federative International Programme on Anatomical Terminology, a program of the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA).
History
The sixth edition of the previous standard, Nomina Anatomica, was released in 1989. The first edition of Terminologia Anatomica, superseding Nomina Anatomica, was developed by the Federative Committee on Anatomical Terminology (FCAT) and the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA) and released in 1998. In April 2011, this edition was published online by the Federative International Programme on Anatomical Terminologies (FIPAT), the successor of FCAT. The first edition contained 7635 Latin items.
The second edition was released online by FIPAT in 2019 and approved and adopted by the IFAA General Assembly in 2020. The latest errata is dated August 2021. It contains a total of 7112 numbered terms (1-7113 skipping 2590), with some terms repeated.
Adoption and reception
A 2014 survey of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists found that the TA preferred term had the highest frequency of usage in only 53% of the 25 anatomical terms surveyed, and was highest or second-highest for 92% of terms. 75% of respondents were unfamiliar with FIPAT and TA.
In a panel at the 2022 International Federation of Associations of Anatomists Congress, one author stated "the Terminologia Anatomica generally receives no attention in medical terminology courses", but stressed its importance. The TA is not well established in other languages, such as French. The English equivalent names are often inconsistent if viewed as translations of the accompanying Latin phrases.
The Terminologia Anatomica specifically excludes eponyms, as they were determined to "give absolutely no anatomical information about the named structure, and vary considerably between countries and cultures". In a 2023 study of 8 gynecologic eponyms, the TA term was preferred in 2 cases, and showed a significant trend towards TA adoption in 3 others, leaving 3 non-TA terms likely to remain in common use.
Categories of anatomical structures
Terminologia Anatomica is divided into 16 chapters grouped into five parts. The official terms are in Latin. Although equivalent English-language terms are provided, as shown below, only the official Latin terms are used as the basis for creating lists of equivalent terms in other languages.
Part I
Chapter 1: General anatomy
General terms
Reference planes
Reference lines
Human body positions
Movements
Parts of human body
Regions of human body
Part II: Musculoskeletal systems
Chapter 2: Bones
Axial skeleton
Appendicular skeleton
Bones
Cranium
Extracranial bones of head
Auditory ossicles
Teeth
Nasal cartilages
Cartilages of ear
Laryngeal cartilages
Vertebral column
Thoracic skeleton
Bones of upper limb
Bony pelvis
Bones of lower limb
Joints
Chapter 3: Joints
Joints of skull
Joints of auditory ossicles
Laryngeal joints
Joints of vertebral column
Thoracic joints
Joints of upper limb
Joints of lower limb
Chapter 4: Muscular system
Cranial part of muscular system
Cervical part of muscular system
Dorsal part of muscular system
Thoracic part of muscular system
Abdominal part of muscular system
Pelvic part of muscular system
Muscular system of upper limb
Muscular system of lower limb
Part III: Visceral systems
Chapter 5: Digestive system
Mouth
Fauces
Pharynx
Digestive canal
Liver
Gallbladder
Extrahepatic bile ducts
Pancreas
Chapter 6: Respiratory system
Nose
Paranasal sinuses
Larynx
Tracheobronchial tree
Lungs
Chapter 7: Thoracic cavity
Pleural cavity
Mediastinum
Chapter 8: Urinary system
Kidney
Ureter
Urinary bladder
Urethra
Chapter 9: Genital systems
Female genital system
Male genital system
Chapter 10: Abdominopelvic cavity
Part IV: Integrating systems I
Chapter 11: Endocrine glands
Hypophysis
Pineal gland
Thyroid gland
Parathyroid glands
Suprarenal gland
Paraganglia
Chapter 12: Cardiovascular system
Blood
Lymph
Vessels
Vascular plexuses
Heart
Pulmonary vessels
Cardiac vessels
Systemic arteries
Systemic veins
Great lymphatic vessels
Chapter 13: Lymphoid organs
Primary lymphoid organs
Secondary lymphoid organs
Part V: Integrating systems II
Chapter 14: Nervous system
Central nervous system
Peripheral nervous system
Autonomic division of peripheral nervous system
Chapter 15: Sense organs
Olfactory organ
Eye
Ear
Gustatory organ
Chapter 16: The integument
Skin
Skin appendages
Subcutaneous tissue
Breast
Scalp
See also
Terminologia Embryologica
Terminologia Histologica
Foundational Model of Anatomy
Anatomical terminology
References
External links
TA1998:
Terminologia Anatomica 1998 on FIPAT site
self-contained OPML and OmniOutliner files and Macintosh application - unofficial
TA2:
Terminologia Anatomica, Second Edition, International Anatomical Terminology - official publication
TA2Viewer - a searchable, dynamic web application of TA2 (2019), made in an official collaboration
Terminologia Anatomica by Anatonomina - unofficial site with pictures and videos
self-contained OPML and OmniOutliner files and Macintosh application - unofficial
Human anatomy
Anatomical terminology