anastomosis

American  

[uh-nas-tuh-moh-sis] / əˌnæs təˈmoʊ sɪs /

noun

anastomoses plural

1. Anatomy. communication between blood vessels by means of collateral channels, especially when usual routes are obstructed.

2. Biology, Geology. connection between parts of any branching system, as veinlets in a leaf or branches of a stream.

3. Surgery, Pathology. a joining of or opening between two organs or spaces that normally are not connected.

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anastomosis British  

/ əˌnæstəˈməʊsɪs, əˌnæstəˈmɒtɪk /

noun

1. a natural connection between two tubular structures, such as blood vessels

2. the surgical union of two hollow organs or parts that are normally separate

3. the separation and rejoining in a reticulate pattern of the veins of a leaf or of branches

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anastomotic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• anastomoses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of anastomosis

1605–15; < New Latin < Greek: opening. See ana-, stoma, -osis

Example Sentences

This had a repertoire of stitches, knots and manoeuvres that permitted it to plan and carry out a procedure, known as anastomosis, which involves sewing together two parts of a bodily tube.

From Economist • May 4, 2016

An arteriovenous anastomosis, which directly connects the arteriole with the venule, is shown at the bottom.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The right and left anterior cerebral arteries join together to form an anastomosis called the anterior communicating artery.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Dr. Ernest Laplace, 63, famed surgeon, inventor of the first forceps for intestinal anastomosis; of heart disease, in Philadelphia.

From Time Magazine Archive

Hence in the embryo, there is almost no use for the liver, but the umbilical vein passes directly through, a foramen or an anastomosis existing from the vena portae.

From The Harvard Classics Volume 38 Scientific Papers (Physiology, Medicine, Surgery, Geology) by Various