Intralesional Injection
Direct injection of a therapeutic agent, most commonly a corticosteroid, into a skin lesion to achieve localised treatment effect.
Full Definition
An intralesional injection delivers medication directly into the substance of a skin lesion, bypassing systemic absorption and concentrating drug activity at the site of pathology. Triamcinolone acetonide is the most frequently used agent, administered for conditions including keloids, hypertrophic scars, cystic acne, alopecia areata, and psoriatic plaques. Editors must hyphenate the compound modifier 'intralesional' consistently and resist splitting it to 'intra-lesional', unless house style dictates otherwise. The term is distinct from perilesional injection, which targets tissue surrounding rather than within a lesion.
Usage
Usage note: Preferred spelling is 'intralesional' (one word, no hyphen) in most major dermatology style guides. Verify against house style.
In Context
- "Intralesional triamcinolone acetonide 10 mg/mL was administered monthly for six months to flatten the keloid scar." — Treatment protocol section
- "The procedure note used 'intra-lesional' inconsistently; the editor standardized the spelling to 'intralesional' throughout." — Copy-editing annotation