Fascia: A Pragmatic Overview for Surgeons

Abstract

The term “fascia” is a very frequently used notion, particularly in an anatomical, surgical, and radiological context. A closer look at the underlying concepts, however, reveals that the denomination is all but a consistent one. It is this use of one and the same term for very different entities that is one of the sources for controversial opinions on fascial structures and their applications in surgical practice. This article summarizes and illustrates examples of structures called fasciae. Considering the impossibility to give a simple, universal definition, we conclude that a precise description and iconographic documentation of the structure under consideration remain mandatory. They should replace the presumably unequivocal, but in fact often nebulous, notion “fascia” in surgical, radiological, and anatomical articles.