hepatectomy
Meaning of hepatectomy: Hepatectomy removes part or all of the liver, often performed to treat tumors, donate a liver segment, or address severe injury.
Definition of hepatectomy
Hepatectomy is a surgical procedure in which part or all of the liver is removed. The extent of removal ranges from a small wedge of tissue to a major resection involving multiple liver segments, and the approach depends on the condition being treated and the amount of healthy liver tissue that can safely be left behind.
The procedure is performed for reasons that include removing a liver tumor, treating certain benign liver lesions, and, in living donor transplantation, removing a healthy segment for transplantation into another person. Because the liver has a notable capacity to regenerate, a carefully planned partial hepatectomy can allow the remaining tissue to restore much of the organ's function over time.
A hepatectomy differs from a liver transplant, in which the diseased organ is replaced entirely rather than partially removed.
How hepatectomy is built
- hepat/o Combining form · Greek liver
- -ectomy Suffix · Greek surgical removal, excision
A medical term is read from its ending backwards: the suffix first, then the prefix, then the root. See all 223 word parts.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
The surgical team planned a partial hepatectomy to remove the tumor while preserving adequate liver function.
Good to know
The feasibility of a hepatectomy depends heavily on how much functioning liver tissue will remain afterward, which is why the procedure is planned around the liver's segmental anatomy rather than by tumor size alone.
Word origin
Where “hepatectomy” comes from
Formed from hepat-, from Greek hepar, hepatos, meaning "liver," and -ectomy, from Greek ektome, meaning "a cutting out."