fistula

[ fis-choo-luh ]

/ ˈfɪs tʃʊ lə /

noun, plural fis·tu·las, fis·tu·lae [fis-choo-lee] /ˈfɪs tʃʊˌli/.

Pathology. a narrow passage or duct formed by disease or injury, as one leading from an abscess to a free surface, or from one cavity to another.

Surgery. an opening made into a hollow organ, as the bladder or eyeball, for drainage.

Veterinary Pathology. any of various suppurative inflammations, as in the withers of a horse (fistulous withers), characterized by the formation of passages or sinuses through the tissues and to the surface of the skin.

Obsolete. a pipe, as a flute.

Words nearby fistula

fistic, fisticuff, fisticuffs, fistmele, fistnote, fistula, fistulation, fistulectomy, fistulize, fistulotomy, fistulous

Origin of fistula

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin: pipe, tube, fistula

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for fistula

The sick sister was healed after relics from John XXIII were placed on the fistula on her abdomen.
Popes, Saints, Miracles, Weird Relics and Odd Omens Converge on Rome|Barbie Latza Nadeau|April 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
About 5,000 girls and women in South Sudan suffer from fistula each year.
Exchanging Daughters for Livestock: Child Marriage In South Sudan|Gauri van Gulik, Janet Walsh|March 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
(b) The general condition of the patient may be excellent, but otorrhœa or a fistula over the mastoid process may persist.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
She suffered from an apparently incurable disease of the eye, fistula lachrymalis.
Pascal|John Tulloch

Under good illumination, careful inspection is made to see if a fistula or a tract of diseased bone extends in any direction.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
The margins of the fistula should be curetted freely and the opening enlarged, if necessary.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
These should be treated by drainage, using a wide rubber drain; the convalescence will be tedious, but the fistula will close.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for fistula

fistula

/ (ˈfɪstjʊlə) /

noun plural -las or -lae (-ˌliː)

pathol an abnormal opening between one hollow organ and another or between a hollow organ and the surface of the skin, caused by ulceration, congenital malformation, etc

obsolete any musical wind instrument; a pipe

Word Origin for fistula

C14: from Latin: pipe, tube, hollow reed, ulcer

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for fistula

fistula

[ fĭs′chə-lə ]

n. pl. fis•tu•las

An abnormal passage from a hollow organ to the body surface, or from one organ to another.