craniotomy

American  

[krey-nee-ot-uh-mee] / ˌkreɪ niˈɒt ə mi /

noun

Surgery.

craniotomies plural

1. the operation of opening the skull, usually for operations on the brain.

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craniotomy British  

/ ˌkreɪnɪˈɒtəmɪ /

noun

1. any surgical incision into the skull, esp to expose the brain for neurosurgery

2. the surgical crushing of a fetal skull to extract a dead fetus

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craniotomy Scientific  

/ krā′nē-ŏt′ə-mē /

1. Surgical incision into the skull.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• craniotomies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of craniotomy

First recorded in 1850–55; cranio- + -tomy

Example Sentences

Doctors said they had performed a craniotomy on the president, a procedure in which part of the bone is surgically removed from the skull to treat the bleed and relieve the pressure.

From BBC • Dec. 10, 2024

She said he had several brain bleeds and swelling of the brain that eventually led to a craniotomy, a procedure that removes part of the skull to relieve pressure on the brain.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2024

This technique requires arrays that cover relatively large areas, necessitating removal of at least an equal area of skull in a procedure known as a craniotomy.

From Scientific American • Sep. 1, 2023

Learning how to open up a craniotomy, learning how to put diapers on your newborn kids and be a better attentive husband, all these were tasks that I wanted to accomplish.

From New York Times • Oct. 11, 2022

In 1892 he read, before the St. Louis Obstetrical and Gynecological Society, a lecture on the moral aspects of craniotomy and abortion, of which a considerable portion is very much to our present purpose.

From Moral Principles and Medical Practice The Basis of Medical Jurisprudence by Coppens, Charles