Definition

Noun: * (Surgery) A medical procedure involving the puncture of a body cavity or organ with a hollow needle to withdraw fluid. This is a technical term for a type of diagnostic or therapeutic surgical puncture.

Usage

• Centesis is a formal, medical term. It is almost always used with a prefix specifying the body part being punctured.
• The word itself refers to the act or procedure of puncturing and aspirating fluid.

Examples

• The patient underwent centesis to relieve the painful pressure from the effusion.
• Diagnostic centesis of the joint confirmed the presence of infection.
• The procedure, a centesis, was performed under ultrasound guidance to ensure accuracy.

Advanced Usage

• Centesis is the root for many specific compound medical terms. These terms are formed by adding a combining form that denotes the specific anatomical site.

Variants and Related Words

• Amniocentesis (n): Surgical puncture of the amniotic sac to withdraw amniotic fluid.
• Arthrocentesis (n): Surgical puncture of a joint space to withdraw synovial fluid.
• Paracentesis (n): Surgical puncture of a body cavity, especially the abdomen (abdominal paracentesis), to drain ascitic fluid.
• Thoracentesis (n): Surgical puncture of the chest wall to drain fluid from the pleural space.
• Pericardiocentesis (n): Surgical puncture of the pericardium to drain fluid.

Synonyms

• Aspiration (n): The act of withdrawing fluid by suction. (Note: While often used interchangeably in medicine, "aspiration" can have other meanings, such as inhaling a foreign object. "Centesis" is more specific to the puncture procedure itself.)
• Tapping (n): An informal medical term for the same procedure (e.g., "a pleural tap").
• Puncture (n): A more general term for making a hole with a sharp instrument.

Noun

1. (surgery) the act of puncturing a body cavity or organ with a hollow needle in order to draw out fluid