Descriptionary

nitrous oxide the anesthetic gas better known as laughing gas.

Ober operations in cases of paralysis, the trans­planting of muscles and tendons.

odontectomy removal of the teeth.

oophorectomy removal of an ovary.

oral surgery surgery of the mouth or gums.

osteoclasis the deliberate rebreaking of a bone to more accurately set its alignment.

otoplasty plastic surgery to correct such ear defor­mities as flop ears and cauliflower ears.

palatoplasty repair of a cleft palate.

pancreatectomy removal of the pancreas.

pentothal an intravenous anesthetic agent.

percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty

X-ray imaging of the coronary arteries with the aid of catheterization and a contrast medium or dye.

perfusion the injection and permeation of a fluid into a body part.

perineoplasty after childbirth, the repair of torn tis­sue between the vagina and the rectum.

phantom limb pain after an amputation, sensation or perceived pain from the limb that was severed, a poorly understood psychological phenomenon.

phlebectomy the removal of a vein.

pneumonectomy removal of a lung.

postoperative after surgery.

procaine a local anesthetic agent.

prolapsed referring to an organ that has fallen out of its normal position.

prostatectomy removal of the prostate gland.

purse-string operation the closing of the cervix with a purse-string suture in order to prevent prema­ture childbirth or miscarriage.

radial keratotomy surgery originating in the Soviet Union and involving several incisions made in the cornea of the eye to cure nearsightedness.

radio frequency face-lift a nonsurgical face-lift that uses high-powered radio waves to diminish wrinkles and sags by contracting and tightening the skin.

radiosurgery use of radiation in surgical treatment.

rejection reaction the body's attack on foreign substances, including organs or tissues donated from another person, which can often be counteracted by special drugs.

rhinoplasty plastic surgery to improve the appear­ance of the nose.

rhytidectomy plastic surgery to remove skin wrinkles.

salpingectomy removal of a fallopian tube.

salpingoplasty opening a closed passage in a fallo­pian tube to cure sterility.

septectomy surgery to correct a deviated septum in the nose.

shunt a bypass.

sigmoidectomy removal of the sigmoid portion of the large intestine.

somatic cell nuclear transfer the method of creat­ing a cloned embryo by inserting the nucleus of a cell into a hollowed-out egg and treating it with chemicalsto initiate embryonic cell division. The clone contains the cell donor's genes and a small amount of DNA from the egg.

splenectomy removal of a spleen.

staphylorrhaphy repair of a cleft palate.

sternal puncture taking by needle a marrow sample from the breastbone to test for blood disease.

sternotomy cutting the sternum apart in order to gain access to the heart.

suture to stitch or sew up a wound. Also, the thread used for this purpose.

suture, button suturing technique in which the ends of the thread are passed through buttons and tied off.

suture, catgut suture material made from sheep intestine; it is gradually absorbed by the body.

suture, cobbler a suture with a needle attached to each end.

suture, continuous a suture having only two ties, at the beginning and end of a wound.

suture, interrupted a suture having several ties and separate strands.

suture, inverting a suture that turns in tissue on all sides of a wound.

suture, purse-string a continuous, inverting suture forming a circle.

tamponade stopping blood flow by inserting a cot­ton sponge in a wound.

tapping the removal of body fluids with a needle.

temporal-cortical bypass an artery bypass applied to the surface of the brain to help restore blood flow.

therapeutic cloning the cloning of human embryos from which may be harvested stem cells. The stem cells can be cultured into cell colonies for use in the creation of various tissues for transplants.

thoracoscopy an examination of the chest cavity by a special instrument.

thyroidectomy removal of the thyroid gland.