A new study has found Australian medical students are struggling to name important body parts.

Only nine out of 26 students in the survey managed to answer half of 20 questions correctly.

Almost a quarter of the total answers were "of concern", indicating a perfunctory knowledge of human anatomy.

The report said students either made no attempt to identify major anatomical structures, wrongly identified them or named non-existent parts of the anatomy.

Among the structures some students failed to identify correctly were the sciatic nerve and the abdominal aorta.

After a refresher course in anatomy, however, the students performed better on the tests, the report said.

All participants were considering surgery as an option.

Lead author Professor George Ramsey-Stewart says the gradual decline in anatomy taught in medical schools is taking its toll.

He says anatomy should remain a principal component of medical education.

The findings have been published in the Medical Journal of Australia.