intradermal
Meaning of intradermal: Intradermal describes an injection or finding located within the skin's layers rather than beneath it or on its surface.
Definition of intradermal
Intradermal means located or occurring within the skin itself, specifically within the dermis, the layer beneath the outer epidermis. The term is used most often to describe a route of injection in which a small amount of substance is placed just under the surface of the skin rather than into the deeper subcutaneous tissue or muscle.
An intradermal injection produces a small raised bump, or wheal, at the injection site because the substance is delivered into a compact layer with limited space to disperse. This route is used for certain diagnostic skin tests, including some allergy and tuberculosis screening tests, because it allows a local reaction to be observed and measured over the following days.
Intradermal is distinct from subcutaneous and intramuscular routes, which deliver a substance progressively deeper beneath the skin.
How intradermal is built
- intra- Prefix · Latin within, inside
- cutane/o, derm/o Combining form · Latin skin
- -ac, -al, -ar, -ary, -eal, -ic Suffix · Greek and Latin pertaining to, relating to
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
A small volume was injected intradermally to perform the tuberculin skin test.
Good to know
An intradermal injection is placed more superficially than a subcutaneous injection, which is why it produces a visible raised wheal that a properly placed subcutaneous injection typically does not.
Word origin
Where “intradermal” comes from
Formed from intra- (Latin, meaning "within") and dermal, from Greek derma, meaning "skin."