Definition

1. Noun:
   • A surgical procedure for the removal of a stone (calculus) from the bladder, kidney, or other part of the urinary tract: The term specifically refers to the operation of cutting into an organ to extract a stone.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The patient underwent a lithotomy to remove a large kidney stone.
  • Before modern techniques, lithotomy was a common but risky procedure for bladder stones.

Advanced Usage

• "Lithotomy position": A standard medical position where the patient lies on their back with hips and knees flexed and thighs apart, often used for gynecological and urological procedures, including the historical lithotomy operation.
  • For the examination, the patient was placed in the lithotomy position.

Variants and Related Words

• Lithotome (n): A surgical instrument used for cutting in a lithotomy.
• Lithotripsy (n): A modern, non-invasive medical procedure that uses shock waves to break down stones, contrasting with the surgical cutting of lithotomy.
  • Lithotripsy has largely replaced surgical lithotomy for many kidney stones.

Synonyms

• Calculus removal: The extraction of a stone.
• Stone surgery: Informal term for surgical procedures to remove calculi.

Related Phrases

(This word is a specific medical term and does not commonly form phrasal verbs or idioms.)

Noun

1. surgical removal of a stone (calculus)