photocoagulation

[foh-toh-koh-ag-yuh-ley-shuh n]

noun

a surgical technique using an intense beam of light from a laser or a xenon-arc bulb to seal blood vessels or coagulate tissue, used primarily in ophthalmology to repair detached retinas or to treat certain kinds of retinopathy.

Origin of photocoagulation

1960–65; photo- + coagulation

Related formspho·to·co·ag·u·la·tive

[foh-toh-koh-ag-yuh-ley-tiv, -luh-tiv] /ˌfoʊ toʊ koʊˈæg yəˌleɪ tɪv, -lə tɪv/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

photocoagulation in Medicine

(fō′tō-kō-ăg′yə-lā′shən)

Surgical coagulation of tissue by means of intense light energy, such as a laser, performed to destroy abnormal tissues or to form adhesive scars, especially in ophthalmology.

Related formspho′to•co•ag′u•late′ v.