Sigmoidostomy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A medical intervention involves constructing an opening from the sigmoid section of the large intestine to facilitate waste excretion
2. A surgical technique includes forming an external passage from the sigmoid colon for the purpose of waste removal
3. A medical procedure that creates an artificial opening in the sigmoid colon to allow waste to pass outside the body

Etymology: Sigmoidostomy is a plain technical coinage built from two parts. The first, "sigmoid," comes from the Greek "sigma," the name of the letter Σ, with the suffix "-oid" meaning "resembling," so "sigmoid" describes something shaped like that letter. In anatomy it names the S-shaped final section of the large intestine, which links the descending colon to the rectum. The second part, "-ostomy," comes from Greek "stoma," meaning "mouth" or "opening," and in surgery it denotes the creation of an artificial opening. Put together, the word names an operation in which the surgeon brings the sigmoid colon through the abdominal wall and opens it to form an artificial exit for waste. It is the same pattern as older surgical terms such as "colostomy" and "ileostomy," with the segment of bowel named in the first part.