Eponyms in Head and Neck Anatomy and Radiology

Abstract

The use of eponyms in medical language is frequent. While it is commonly thought that eponyms are on their way to extinction, this is not entirely true. There is dissent between those who believe that their use should be abandoned and those who advocate that eponyms make unmemorable terms memorable, convey complex concepts and promote interest in the history of medicine. We feel part of this second group, and our intention is to make a review of eight eponyms linked to head and neck anatomy and radiology. We believe that this approach can be useful for the education of medical students, residents and diagnostic imaging specialists.