photocoagulation

[ foh-toh-koh-ag-yuh-ley-shuhn ]

noun

1. 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.

Other Words From

• pho·to·co·ag·u·la·tive [foh-toh-koh-, ag, -y, uh, -ley-tiv, -l, uh, -tiv], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of photocoagulation¹

1960–65; photo- + coagulation ( def )