contiguous
Meaning of contiguous: Contiguous structures or areas of tissue are directly touching or immediately adjacent, without any gap or intervening structure between them.
Definition of contiguous
Contiguous means touching along a boundary or lying immediately adjacent without an intervening gap. In medicine, the word is used to describe structures, areas of tissue, or findings that are directly next to one another, which is a distinction relevant to how a finding is described and how it might behave.
In imaging and pathology, describing tumor involvement as contiguous indicates that the abnormal tissue extends into or connects directly with a neighboring structure, as opposed to a separate finding located some distance away, which would instead be described as a distinct or noncontiguous focus. This distinction matters because directly connected involvement can suggest a different extent or pattern of disease than a separate, unconnected finding.
The word also appears in describing continuous sections on imaging, such as contiguous CT slices, meaning that consecutive images were obtained without a gap between them.
Used in a sentence
The report described tumor extension that was contiguous with the adjacent muscle layer.
Good to know
A finding described as contiguous with a nearby structure suggests direct extension, which is generally interpreted differently than a separate finding located at a distance, since the two patterns can imply different mechanisms of spread.