Definition

1. Noun:
   • A surgical procedure in which spinal nerve roots are cut. This is performed on anterior nerve roots to relieve intractable pain or on posterior nerve roots to stop severe muscle spasms.

Usage

• Medical Context: The term is used exclusively in medical and surgical contexts to describe a specific neurosurgical intervention. It is a technical term not used in everyday conversation.
• Sentence Structure: Typically used as a direct object (e.g., "perform a rhizotomy") or the subject of a passive sentence (e.g., "A rhizotomy was performed").

Examples

• The patient underwent a rhizotomy to alleviate the chronic pain that did not respond to medication.
• A selective dorsal rhizotomy can significantly reduce spasticity in patients with cerebral palsy.
• The neurosurgeon recommended a rhizotomy as a last resort after other treatments failed.

Advanced Usage

• "Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR)": A specific type of rhizotomy where only certain sensory nerve rootlets in the spinal cord are severed to reduce muscle spasticity.
  • Selective dorsal rhizotomy is a common treatment for spastic diplegia.

Variants and Related Words

• Rhizotomies (n): The plural form of rhizotomy.
  • The study compared the outcomes of multiple rhizotomies.

Synonyms

• Neurotomy: A broader term for the surgical cutting of a nerve.
• Radiculotomy: A very close synonym, specifically referring to the surgical sectioning of a spinal nerve root.

Notes on Meaning

• The procedure is highly specific and irreversible. It targets the "roots" (rhizo-) where nerves exit the spinal cord, with the suffix "-tomy" meaning "cutting."
• The distinction between cutting (motor) roots versus (sensory) roots is critical and defines the primary goal of the surgery (stopping spasms vs. relieving pain, respectively).

Noun

1. surgical procedure in which spinal nerve roots are cut; done (anterior roots) to relieve intractable pain or (posterior roots) to stop severe muscle spasms