Procedure and Surgery Terms

Removal of one anatomical unit of an organ along its own blood supply, so the cut runs where nature already divided it.

A surgical procedure in which the side of the colon is attached to the anus after the rectum has been removed.

Removal of the breast.

Surgery to remove one kidney.

Surgery to remove the entire vulva (the external female genital organs, including the clitoris, vaginal lips, and the opening to the vagina).

Surgery to remove the top layer of skin of the vulva (the external female genital organs, including the clitoris, vaginal lips, and the opening to the vagina).

Surgery to remove a lung tumor in a lobe of the lung and a part of the main bronchus (airway).

Surgery to remove a lung tumor in a lobe of the lung and a part of the main bronchus (airway).

A spinal tap withdraws cerebrospinal fluid from the lower back using a thin needle, either to test the fluid or to deliver medication.

A splenectomy is a surgical procedure that removes all or part of the spleen, performed for injury, disease, or certain blood disorders.

A word doing three jobs at once: the thread, the stitch it makes, and an immovable joint between two bones of the skull.

A procedure in which mild electric currents are applied to some areas of the skin.

A procedure using heat to remove tissue or a part of the body, or destroy its function.

One needle answers two questions at once, easing the pressure squeezing the lung and supplying the sample that explains why fluid gathered.

A surgeon who specializes in operating on tumors found inside the chest.

Looking inside the chest cavity through a small opening between the ribs, usually to explain fluid that keeps returning.

Ribs are spread apart to reach the lung, heart or esophagus, which is why recovery takes far longer than keyhole surgery.

Surgery to remove a thrombus (blood clot) from a blood vessel.

Thyroidectomy removes part or all of the thyroid gland to treat conditions such as nodules, overactive thyroid, or thyroid cancer.

The gain is not the robot but the route: reaching the throat through the mouth avoids splitting the jaw to get there.