Sinusotomy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A medical operation that involves creating an opening in a sinus to allow for drainage or to access the area for further procedures
2. This technique consists of making a surgical incision in a sinus to alleviate pressure or enable treatment for underlying conditions
3. A surgical procedure entails making an incision in a sinus to facilitate drainage or provide access for further medical treatment

Etymology: "Sinusotomy" is a technical coinage built from two pieces of Latin and Greek, not a word that grew up in everyday speech. The first part, "sinus," is Latin for a curve, fold or hollow, and in anatomy it came to name the air-filled cavities in the skull that open into the nose. The second part, "-otomy," comes from Ancient Greek "témnō," meaning "to cut," and is the same element found in words like "appendectomy" and "tonsillotomy," all of which describe a cutting operation. Put together, the word names the surgical act of cutting into a sinus. Because it was assembled deliberately from classical parts, it follows the pattern medical writers used for procedure names, where a body part is joined to a suffix describing the operation. The linking "-o-" between the two elements is the standard connecting vowel that makes such compounds easier to pronounce.

Synonyms: sinus surgery, sinus operation