cystectomy
Meaning of cystectomy: Depending on the organ involved, a cystectomy may mean either removing the entire urinary bladder or removing a cyst from a different organ.
Definition of cystectomy
Cystectomy is a surgical term describing the removal of the urinary bladder, either in whole or in part, and it is most often performed to treat bladder cancer that has invaded the bladder wall or that has not responded adequately to other treatment. A radical cystectomy removes the entire bladder along with nearby lymph nodes and, depending on anatomy, nearby reproductive organs, and requires creating an alternate way for urine to leave the body.
The same root term is also used in a different, more specific context, such as ovarian cystectomy, describing surgical removal of a cyst, a fluid filled sac, from the ovary while leaving the surrounding ovarian tissue in place.
Because the word cystectomy can refer either to bladder removal or to removal of a cyst from another organ, the specific procedure being described generally depends on additional context, such as the organ named alongside the term.
Used in a sentence
A radical cystectomy was performed after biopsy confirmed muscle invasive bladder cancer.
Good to know
Cystectomy most often refers to removal of the urinary bladder, but the same term is used for removing an ovarian cyst, so the organ involved must be specified to know which procedure is meant.
Word origin
Where “cystectomy” comes from
Formed from Greek kystis, meaning bladder or sac, and the suffix -ectomy, from ektome, meaning a cutting out.