Representation of parts within the Foundational Model of Anatomy ontology: A critique and proposal for enhanced structure and consistency of regional parts

As biomedical ontologies grow in size and complexity it is crucial to develop methods for detecting inconsistencies within ontologies. The Foundational Model of Anatomy (FMA) ontology represents knowledge of human anatomy, with structural organization provided by class and part relationships. Using a manual audit, I identify types of inconsistencies arising from class and regional part relationships for regions of the body and the parts of organs. Inconsistencies arise from both explicitly declared relationships and relationships that are implied by the lexical constructs of class names. The purpose of this work is to propose methods of structural organization and lexical consistency that will make the FMA more compatible with computational auditing and increase its usability.