Usage of a Translated Version of Terminologia Anatomica in Brazil: An Examination of the Neurosurgical Literature

Introduction  The linguistic factor may have delayed the universal adoption of the International Anatomical Terminology (IAT), which was widespread in Latin and in English only. Independent translations are possible, but they are not devoid of methodological difficulties. Objective  To estimate the usage of the translated version of the Terminologia Anatomica in neurosurgical articles in Brazil. Method  Consecutive national publications were checked for the correspondence of their anatomical terms to the following categories: IAT – Brazilian version; IAT in Latin; Nomina Anatomica – previous versions; incomplete terms; derivative terms; eponyms; neologisms; and others (misspellings and prosaic terms). The years 2014 and 2015 were chosen for analysis so that included articles were published at least 16 years after the publication of the original IAT (1998) and at least 13 years since the publication of the Brazilian version (2001). Results  Out of a total of 183 articles analyzed, 1,132 anatomical terms were identified, referring to 334 different anatomical structures. Most of the structures were described using terms from the Brazilian version of the IAT ( n  = 834; 73.7%). Those that did not belong to or did not derive from any version of the IAT totaled 281 (24.8%). The remaining 17 terms (1.5%) corresponded to words derived or provided for in the Latin IAT. No association was identified between the number of authors and any category of nomenclature. Conclusion  Although most anatomical structures cited in Portuguese were described in accordance with the Brazilian version of the IAT, the degree of adherence was considered moderate given that about one-quarter of the terms escaped this terminology.