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Lateralized Disorder Naming Conventions

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See also Anatomical Structure Naming Conventions section Naming Convention for Digits of Hand and Foot and Laterality section Laterality

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Right, left disorder concepts

When creating a lateralized disorder concept, two concepts should be created:

  1. concept for the left side

  2. concept for the right side

Descriptions

  • FSN: <morphologic abnormality> of _right/left_ <body structure> (disorder)

  • PT: Right/left

    • For example, 1089071000119109 | Inflammation of left mastoid (disorder)|

      • FSN: Inflammation of left mastoid (disorder)

      • PT: Left mastoiditis

Stated view of Inflammation of left mastoid (disorder)

When creating a lateralized disorder concept, if a non-lateralized parent does not exist, then it should be created as well. In other words, do not just create the right and left versions, but also create a concept to represent the laterality-agnostic parent.

  • For example,

    • When creating Inflammation of left mastoid and Inflammation of right mastoid, also ensure a concept for Inflammation of mastoid exists.

Where the disorder is left/right of a specific anatomical site, and the preferred term naming pattern of Right/left causes a combination that does not sound like natural flowing English, the guidance above can be circumvented. See the section Naming Convention for Digits of Hand and Foot and Laterality section Laterality.

  • For example,

    • Left interphalangeal thumb joint open traumatic dislocation should follow naming guidance of Open traumatic dislocation of interphalangeal joint of left thumb.

    • Left abscess of foot is an incorrect term; instead, this should read Abscess of left foot.

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Unilateral

With the addition of lateralized content in the International Release, the need for unspecified unilateral concepts is removed, as well as potentially dangerous, if used directly in a patient record. Unilateral concepts are not accepted.

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Bilateral disorder concepts

Where the bilateral disorder description causes a combination that does not sound like natural flowing English, the guidance below can be circumvented.

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When the body structure and the morphologic abnormality are combined into one word, the following naming pattern applies:

  • FSN: of bilateral (disorder)

  • PT: Bilateral

  • SYN: of bilateral

  • SYN: of both

  • For example, 1084011000119100 | Inflammation of bilateral mastoids (disorder)|

    • FSN: Inflammation of bilateral mastoids (disorder)

    • PT: Bilateral mastoiditis

    • SYN: Inflammation of bilateral mastoids

    • SYN: Inflammation of both mastoids

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When the body structure and morphologic abnormality are separate, the following naming pattern applies:

  • FSN: of bilateral (disorder)

  • PT: of bilateral

  • SYN: of both

Note the PT of Bilateral is not required. Bilateral is to describe the body site, not the morphologic abnormality.

  • For example,

    15725081000119100 | Effusion of joint of bilateral feet (disorder) |

    • FSN: Effusion of joint of bilateral feet (disorder)

    • PT: Effusion of joint of bilateral feet

    • SYN: Effusion of joint of both feet

Also note that joint is singular. This is to denote that the joint may be singular on each side of the body; the plurality of feet will represent the laterality. Using joints as plural may incorrectly reflect that there are multiple joints affected in both feet.

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Do not use both to describe disorders of the eyelids unless the concept's means both upper eyelids or both lower eyelids , only then can that synonym be included for bilateral eyelid disorder concepts.

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Modeling of bilateral disorders

Bilateral disorders should be modeled using two relationship groups, one for each lateralized body structure.

Stated view of Inflammation of bilateral mastoids (disorder) with a role group for each side
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Structure, Structure of

Lateralized disorder concepts should not include the words structure or structure of.

  • For example,

    • With use of 266005 | Structure of lower lobe of right lung (body structure)|,

      • a disorder concept is termed 724056005 | Malignant neoplasm of lower lobe of right lung (disorder)|

      • a procedure is termed 726425007 | Lobectomy of lower lobe of right lung (procedure)|

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