intracutaneous
Meaning of intracutaneous: Intracutaneous describes an injection or process occurring within the layers of the skin itself, rather than beneath it or into muscle.
Definition of intracutaneous
Intracutaneous means located or occurring within the skin. The term most often describes a type of injection in which a small amount of substance is delivered into the layers of the skin itself, rather than beneath the skin or into muscle.
Intracutaneous injections are used for certain diagnostic tests, including some allergy and tuberculosis skin tests, because introducing a small amount of substance directly into the skin allows a localized reaction to be observed and measured at the injection site. The technique requires a shallow injection angle and produces a small, raised bump at the site when performed correctly.
Intracutaneous administration differs from subcutaneous injection, which delivers a substance into the layer of tissue beneath the skin, and from intramuscular injection, which delivers a substance into muscle.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
An intracutaneous injection was used to perform the tuberculosis skin test.
Good to know
An intracutaneous, or intradermal, injection is placed within the skin itself and produces a small raised wheal, which differs in depth and appearance from a subcutaneous injection placed beneath the skin.
Word origin
Where “intracutaneous” comes from
Formed from intra- (Latin, meaning "within") and cutaneous, from Latin cutis, meaning "skin."