lithotrity

A doctor performs lithotrity to break up a kidney stone.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Surgical procedure: "lithotrity" refers to the operation of crushing a stone in the bladder into small fragments so that they can be passed naturally through the urinary tract. It is a medical technique used to treat bladder stones.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The patient underwent lithotrity to remove the bladder stone without an open incision. (The surgical crushing of the stone was performed.)
  • Before modern lithotripsy, lithotrity was a common procedure for bladder stones. (Historical reference to the earlier method of stone crushing.)

Advanced Usage

• "lithotrity" is a historical term; it has largely been replaced by lithotripsy, which uses shock waves instead of mechanical crushing. In medical contexts, "lithotrity" may appear in historical texts or discussions of older surgical techniques.
  • In the 19th century, lithotrity was considered a major advance in urology. (The procedure was revolutionary at the time.)

Variants and Related Words

• Lithotrite (n): an instrument used to perform lithotrity.
  • The surgeon used a lithotrite to crush the stone during the procedure. (The specialized tool for stone crushing.)
• Lithotripsy (n): a modern, non-invasive procedure that uses shock waves to break up stones in the kidney or bladder.
  • Lithotripsy has largely replaced lithotrity due to its lower risk. (Comparison of techniques.)

Synonyms

• Stone crushing: a descriptive term for the process of breaking urinary stones.
• Cystolitholapaxy: a more specific term for crushing stones in the bladder, often used interchangeably with lithotrity in modern contexts.

Related Idioms

• No common idioms are associated with "lithotrity," as it is a highly specialized medical term.