Revision of the VACTERL Acronym for the Screening of Gynecologic/Genitourinary Anomalies in Patients With Anorectal Malformations

Medical learning is aided by acronyms and mnemonics that become entrenched philosophies for our evaluation and management of patients. Such examples as MUDPILES for the differential diagnoses of metabolic acidosis create a systematic way for physicians not to miss critical elements in our care of patients. But what happens if the acronym has a flaw that systematically results in missed diagnoses for decades?