decortication
Meaning of decortication: In thoracic surgery, decortication strips a thickened fibrous membrane from the lung's surface so the lung can re-expand fully.
Definition of decortication
Decortication is a surgical procedure that removes a fibrous membrane, or peel, that has formed on the outer surface of an organ, most often the lung. This fibrous layer can develop following a persistent infection within the pleural space, such as empyema, or after a hemothorax, and it can thicken enough to restrict the lung from expanding fully within the chest.
During decortication, a surgeon strips away this restrictive membrane from the lung's outer surface and the inner lining of the chest cavity, allowing the underlying lung tissue to re-expand and resume more normal function. The procedure can be performed through an open chest incision or, in some cases, using minimally invasive, video assisted techniques.
Decortication is distinct from other lung procedures that remove diseased lung tissue itself, since it instead removes only the restrictive outer layer while leaving the lung tissue underneath in place.
Used in a sentence
Decortication was performed to allow the lung to re-expand after a prolonged empyema.
Good to know
Decortication removes only the restrictive fibrous layer covering the lung rather than diseased lung tissue itself, distinguishing it from procedures such as lobectomy that remove lung tissue directly.
Word origin
Where “decortication” comes from
Formed from Latin de-, meaning removal, and cortex, meaning bark or outer layer, combined with the suffix -ation.