Teaching variant anatomy – students´ attitude and knowledge

Author(s): Sven Schumann*

Anatomical variations are deviations from the most common arrangement of anatomical structures in the human body. In contrast to malformations, anatomical variations do not result in an impairment of function. Nevertheless, variations are of high clinical interest, since variations can mimic pathologies leading to wrong diagnoses and interfere with therapies. In most anatomical curricula, anatomical variations are not included systematically. In this pilot study, German medical students in the pre-clinical phase of study were asked to answer questions about their attitude towards variant anatomy and name three anatomical variations. 46 students completed the online survey. Approximately two-third of the students agreed (n=25) or strongly agreed (n=4) that anatomical variations should play a more important role in anatomical education. Most frequently, variations associated with a situs inversus and the dominance type of arterial supply of the heart were mentioned. Pre- clinical students are aware of the importance of variant anatomy knowledge. Anatomical variations should be integrated systematically into pre-clinical medical education. This study might motivate anatomy teachers to develop and evaluate curricula which include variant anatomy.

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