Recognizing Anatomical Variations: A Necessity for Optimal Patient Care

Anatomical variations are common and carry real consequences for diagnosis, surgery, radiology, regional anaesthesia and device placement. This editorial illustrates the point with accessory renal arteries, the variable course of the recurrent laryngeal nerve and hepatic arterial branching patterns, and argues that awareness should begin in undergraduate education and be reinforced through continuing professional development and advanced preoperative imaging. It introduces the case study on a variant extensor digiti minimi tendon published in this issue.