Hydrodilatation

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The injection of sterile fluid into a joint capsule to stretch and enlarge it, typically for therapeutic purposes in treating stiffness
2. A medical procedure in which liquid is forcibly introduced into a joint space to distend the surrounding tissues and improve mobility
3. The therapeutic technique of injecting fluid into a joint to dilate its capsule and restore or increase range of motion

Etymology: "Hydrodilatation" is a plain technical compound, built from "hydro-", the combining form from Greek "hydōr" meaning "water," and "dilatation," a term for the widening or stretching of a passage or organ. Put together, the name describes stretching something by means of fluid pressure. The second element carries most of the medical sense. "Dilatation" comes from Latin "dilatare," meaning "to spread out" or "to enlarge," built from "di-" (apart) and "latus" (wide), and it entered English as a term for enlargement. In surgery and medicine, dilatation came to name the procedure of widening a narrow opening, such as a blood vessel, urethra, or the cervix, using instruments or pressure. Hydrodilatation applies that principle with water or another fluid injected into a tissue or cavity, so that the pressure of the liquid expands the space or breaks down the tissue that is narrowing it. The word follows the standard pattern of modern medical coinages, combining a Greek prefix with a Latin-derived noun.

Synonyms: hydrodilation, hydraulic dilation