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exostosis

exostosis

9.9
A hard, harmless growth on a bone that sticks out
  • noun
  • /ˌɛkstəˈstoʊsɪs/
  • Specialized
: exostosis
  • The doctor explained that the exostosis on my bone was benign and could be treated easily.

Examples

  • Surfer's ear… exostosis of the ear canal.

  • Because of this observation, the authors perform exostosis removal through a postauricular approach; the wider exposure is helpful in obtaining orientation during drilling.

    Academic text (1996)
  • These injuries occurred during a transcanal approach for exostosis removal, and the limited exposure provided by this route led to the injury.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Some of the underlying uncommon associated factors include leprosy (1), obesity (3), guinea worm (1), malignancy (5), and tibia exostosis (1).

    Academic text (2007)
  • After a thorough examination, the surgeon confirmed that the exostosis was covered with cartilage and did not require immediate intervention.

  • The athlete had an exostosis that formed on his elbow, causing some discomfort during training.

Synonyms

osteophyte
vsexostosis
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small extra piece of bone at the edge of a joint that can press on nerves

is a growth that can arise anywhere on a bone surface without disease link
osteochondroma
vsexostosis
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A non-cancer growth of bone and cartilage near the end of a bone, often in the arm or leg

is a benign projection from any bone surface often covered with cartilage

How Large

protuberance
2 8.6
bump
118 2.5
exostosis
  • Specialized
9.9
osteophyte
  • Specialized
1 9.9
nodule
8 7.0

Surface Forms

exostosis singular
exostoses plural

Morphology

exostosis = ostosis (semi-transparent) = ex + ost + osis

For someone who knows the medical base word 'ostosis', adding 'ex-' gives the fairly predictable sense of an outward bony growth, but the base itself is highly technical.

Etymology

The word exostosis comes from the Greek parts exo- meaning 'outside' and osteo- meaning 'bone' (as in external and osteoporosis). So an exostosis is a bony growth that sticks out from the surface of a bone.