# BodyStructure (EU core) - HL7 Europe Base and Core FHIR IG v2.0.0

* [**Table of Contents**](toc.md)
* [**Artifacts Summary**](artifacts.md)
* **BodyStructure (EU core)**

## Resource Profile: BodyStructure (EU core) 

| | | |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| *Official URL*:http://hl7.eu/fhir/base/StructureDefinition/bodyStructure-eu-core | *Version*:2.0.0 | |
| * Standards status: *[Trial-use](http://hl7.org/fhir/R4/versions.html#std-process) | [Maturity Level](http://hl7.org/fhir/versions.html#maturity): 2 | *Computable Name*:BodyStructureEuCore |
| **Copyright/Legal**: Copyright HL7 Europe. Licensed under creative commons public domain (CC0 1.0). | | |

 
This profile introduces essential constraints and extensions for the BodyStructure resource that apply across multiple use cases. 

### Body Site and Laterality

When expressing a body site with laterality, use `BodyStructure.includedStructure`: the body site code goes into `includedStructure.structure` and the laterality into `includedStructure.laterality`.

#### Qualifier

Additional positional qualifiers (e.g. "upper", "anterior", "superficial") can be expressed via `includedStructure.qualifier`. Multiple qualifiers may be provided within the same `includedStructure` entry.

#### Laterality only (structure unknown or not provided)

In some cases only the laterality is relevant or the specific body structure code is not known and cannot be populated. In these situations, the [data-absent-reason](http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/data-absent-reason) extension can be applied to `includedStructure.structure` to satisfy the FHIR cardinality requirement while making clear that the value is absent, allowing `includedStructure.laterality` to carry the laterality information on its own.

**Usages:**

* Refer to this Profile: [Condition (EU core)](StructureDefinition-condition-eu-core.md) and [Procedure (EU core)](StructureDefinition-procedure-eu-core.md)
* Examples for this Profile: [BodyStructure/example-body-structure-eu](BodyStructure-example-body-structure-eu.md)

You can also check for [usages in the FHIR IG Statistics](https://packages2.fhir.org/xig/resource/hl7.fhir.eu.base|current/StructureDefinition/StructureDefinition-bodyStructure-eu-core.json)

### Formal Views of Profile Content

 [Description of Profiles, Differentials, Snapshots and how the different presentations work](http://build.fhir.org/ig/FHIR/ig-guidance/readingIgs.html#structure-definitions). 

 

Other representations of profile: [CSV](StructureDefinition-bodyStructure-eu-core.csv), [Excel](StructureDefinition-bodyStructure-eu-core.xlsx), [Schematron](StructureDefinition-bodyStructure-eu-core.sch) 



## Resource Content

```json
{
  "resourceType" : "StructureDefinition",
  "id" : "bodyStructure-eu-core",
  "extension" : [{
    "url" : "http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/structuredefinition-fmm",
    "valueInteger" : 2
  },
  {
    "url" : "http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/structuredefinition-standards-status",
    "valueCode" : "trial-use"
  }],
  "url" : "http://hl7.eu/fhir/base/StructureDefinition/bodyStructure-eu-core",
  "version" : "2.0.0",
  "name" : "BodyStructureEuCore",
  "title" : "BodyStructure (EU core)",
  "status" : "active",
  "date" : "2026-08-07T12:40:16+00:00",
  "publisher" : "HL7 Europe",
  "contact" : [{
    "name" : "HL7 Europe",
    "telecom" : [{
      "system" : "url",
      "value" : "http://hl7.eu"
    }]
  }],
  "description" : "This profile introduces essential constraints and extensions for the BodyStructure resource that apply across multiple use cases.",
  "jurisdiction" : [{
    "coding" : [{
      "system" : "http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49.htm",
      "code" : "150",
      "display" : "Europe"
    }]
  }],
  "copyright" : "Copyright HL7 Europe. Licensed under creative commons public domain (CC0 1.0).",
  "fhirVersion" : "4.0.1",
  "mapping" : [{
    "identity" : "rim",
    "uri" : "http://hl7.org/v3",
    "name" : "RIM Mapping"
  },
  {
    "identity" : "openehr",
    "uri" : "http://openehr.org",
    "name" : "Open EHR Archetype Mapping"
  },
  {
    "identity" : "w5",
    "uri" : "http://hl7.org/fhir/fivews",
    "name" : "FiveWs Pattern Mapping"
  },
  {
    "identity" : "v2",
    "uri" : "http://hl7.org/v2",
    "name" : "HL7 v2 Mapping"
  }],
  "kind" : "resource",
  "abstract" : false,
  "type" : "BodyStructure",
  "baseDefinition" : "http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/BodyStructure",
  "derivation" : "constraint",
  "differential" : {
    "element" : [{
      "id" : "BodyStructure",
      "path" : "BodyStructure"
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.text",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.text",
      "short" : "Textual description of the body structure"
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.extension",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.extension",
      "slicing" : {
        "discriminator" : [{
          "type" : "value",
          "path" : "url"
        }],
        "ordered" : false,
        "rules" : "open"
      }
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.extension:includedStructure",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.extension",
      "sliceName" : "includedStructure",
      "min" : 0,
      "max" : "*",
      "type" : [{
        "code" : "Extension",
        "profile" : ["http://hl7.org/fhir/5.0/StructureDefinition/extension-BodyStructure.includedStructure"]
      }]
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.extension:includedStructure.extension:structure",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.extension.extension",
      "sliceName" : "structure"
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.extension:includedStructure.extension:structure.extension",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.extension.extension.extension",
      "max" : "0"
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.extension:includedStructure.extension:structure.value[x]",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.extension.extension.value[x]",
      "binding" : {
        "strength" : "preferred",
        "valueSet" : "http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/body-site"
      }
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.extension:includedStructure.extension:laterality",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.extension.extension",
      "sliceName" : "laterality"
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.extension:includedStructure.extension:laterality.extension",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.extension.extension.extension",
      "max" : "0"
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.extension:includedStructure.extension:laterality.value[x]",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.extension.extension.value[x]",
      "binding" : {
        "strength" : "preferred",
        "valueSet" : "http://hl7.eu/fhir/base/ValueSet/siteLaterality-eu"
      }
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.extension:includedStructure.extension:qualifier",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.extension.extension",
      "sliceName" : "qualifier"
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.extension:includedStructure.extension:qualifier.extension",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.extension.extension.extension",
      "max" : "0"
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.extension:includedStructure.extension:qualifier.value[x]",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.extension.extension.value[x]",
      "binding" : {
        "strength" : "preferred",
        "valueSet" : "http://hl7.eu/fhir/base/ValueSet/siteQualifier-eu"
      }
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.identifier",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.identifier",
      "short" : "Body structure identifier"
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.morphology",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.morphology",
      "binding" : {
        "strength" : "preferred",
        "valueSet" : "http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/bodystructure-code"
      }
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.location",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.location",
      "max" : "0"
    },
    {
      "id" : "BodyStructure.locationQualifier",
      "path" : "BodyStructure.locationQualifier",
      "max" : "0"
    }]
  }
}

```
