extrapleural

1 9.9

Sits outside the thin lining that covers the lungs

adjective
/ˌɛkstrəˈplʊrəl/

Specialized

: extrapleural

Surgery was necessary to remove an extrapleural growth affecting the patient's breathing.

Examples

Recently, these tumors have been documented in a number of extrapleural sites, including the head and neck.

Academic text (1996)
Doctors found tumors in several extrapleural locations around the lungs.
Extrapleural sites have also been identified, including the upper respiratory tract.

Academic text (1996)
Since then, extrapleural lesions have been reported in a wide variety of head and neck sites, including the orbit, nose, paranasal sinuses, thyroid gland, and salivary gland.

Academic text (2006)
The radiologist noted that the patient had an extrapleural mass that required further examination.

Antonyms

pleural

Specialized

9 8.8

Relating to the thin lining around the lungs and inside the chest

Surface Forms

extrapleural positive

Morphology

extrapleural = pleural (transparent) = extra + pleur + al

The base adjective 'pleural' is clearly extended by the prefix 'extra-' to mean located outside the pleura.

Etymology

Extrapleural starts with extra- ('outside') and ends with pleura ('side', the thin layer that covers the lungs). So extrapleural means 'outside' that lung covering, which is why doctors use it for body parts or operations that stay outside the pleura.