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paracentesis

American  
[par-uh-sen-tee-sis] / ˌpær ə sɛnˈti sɪs /

noun

Surgery.
  • paracenteses
    plural
  1. puncture of the wall of a cavity to drain off fluid.


paracentesis British  
/ ˌpærəsɛnˈtiːsɪs /

noun

  1. med the surgical puncture of a body cavity in order to draw off excess fluid

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of paracentesis

1590–1600; < Latin paracentēsis perforation, tapping < Greek parakéntēsis, equivalent to parakentē-, variant stem of parakenteîn to prick beside ( para- para- 1 + kenteîn to prick, pierce) + -sis -sis

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Can it be felt by the hand or by the patient before the disease is too great to admit of cure by the paracentesis?

From Zoonomia, Vol. II Or, the Laws of Organic Life by Erasmus Darwin

Again, the temperature often fell to normal after paracentesis and removal of the blood, to rise again with a fresh accumulation, which was not uncommon.

From Surgical Experiences in South Africa, 1899-1900 Being Mainly a Clinical Study of the Nature and Effects of Injuries Produced by Bullets of Small Calibre by George Henry Makins

In patients suffering from the inconvenience which comes from large quantities of fluid in the abdomen he advises paracentesis abdominis, but warns against putting the patient in danger from such an operation without due consideration.

From Education: How Old The New by James J. Walsh

Dr., on fissure of palate, 200.Bladder, puncture of, 284.Bonnet on radical cure of hernia, 245.Botal on amputation, 47.Bowditch on paracentesis thoracis, 221.Bowman's operation, lachrymal canal, 153.Brachial, ligature of, 242.Brodie,

From A Manual of the Operations of Surgery For the Use of Senior Students, House Surgeons, and Junior Practitioners by Joseph Bell

If pus is found, a more radical surgical procedure than simple paracentesis must be done immediately.

From Disturbances of the Heart by Oliver T. (Oliver Thomas) Osborne

Kaltschmid describes a case of ascites in which, in 12 paracenteses, 500 pounds of fluid were removed.

From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Walter L. (Walter Lytle) Pyle

In 1721 Morand reported two cases of ascites in one of which, by the means of 57 paracenteses, 970 pounds of fluid were drawn off in twenty-two months.

From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Walter L. (Walter Lytle) Pyle

Martineau describes a remarkable case of twenty-five years' duration, in which 80 paracenteses were performed and 6630 pints of fluid were withdrawn.

From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Walter L. (Walter Lytle) Pyle

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