sympathectomy

Thân thiện

A surgeon performs a sympathectomy to treat a medical condition.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A surgical procedure to interrupt nerve pathways in the sympathetic nervous system: A sympathectomy is an operation where a surgeon cuts or destroys specific nerves within the sympathetic nervous system to treat certain medical conditions.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The patient underwent a lumbar sympathectomy to alleviate severe pain in his leg.
  • Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy is a minimally invasive treatment for excessive sweating.

Advanced Usage

• Chemical sympathectomy: A procedure that uses chemical agents (like phenol or alcohol) to destroy sympathetic nerves, rather than surgical cutting.

  • For some patients, a chemical sympathectomy is preferred due to its lower risk profile.

• Surgical sympathectomy: Specifies the traditional method involving physical interruption of the nerve, often via clipping or cauterization.

  • The surgical sympathectomy successfully resolved the patient's reflex sympathetic dystrophy.

Variants and Related Words

• Sympathectomies (n): The plural form of sympathectomy.

  • Modern techniques have improved the outcomes of sympathectomies.

• Sympathetic (adj): Relating to or denoting the part of the autonomic nervous system that the surgery affects.

  • The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the 'fight or flight' response.

• Sympathetic chain/ganglion: The specific structures often targeted in this surgery.

  • The surgeon targeted the second thoracic ganglion during the sympathectomy.

Synonyms

• Sympathetic denervation: A more descriptive technical synonym for the procedure.
• Ganglionectomy: Surgical removal of a ganglion, which can be a specific type of sympathectomy.

Related Medical Terms

• Indication: A sympathectomy is primarily indicated for conditions like hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), complex regional pain syndrome, and some vascular disorders.
• Complication: A potential complication of the procedure is compensatory sweating in other body areas.

Học thuật

Noun

1. surgical interruption of a nerve pathway in the sympathetic nervous system