Professional
Technical
In the Industry Vocabulary Test
enterotomy
Pronunciation: en-ter-AH-tuh-mee
Surgical incision into the small bowel for access or repair.
Full Definition
A surgical procedure involving an incision into the wall of the small intestine, typically performed for stone extraction, foreign body removal, or repair of injury. Enterotomy may be planned, as in cases of impacted gallstone ileus, or emergent when bowel injury occurs during surgery. The incision is usually made along the antimesenteric border to preserve blood supply. Proper closure technique with interrupted or running sutures in single or double layer is essential to prevent leak or stenosis.
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish from enterectomy (bowel resection) and enterostomy (bowel opening).
In Context
- "Enterotomy was performed to remove the impacted gallstone from the terminal ileum." — Operative report
- "The inadvertent enterotomy was immediately repaired with 3-0 silk sutures." — Intraoperative note
Also known as
bowel incision
Contrasted with
enterorrhaphy
Don't confuse with
enterectomy
colotomy