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meatal

meatal

1 9.9
Relating to a natural opening or small tube in the body
  • adjective
  • /ˈmiːətəl/
  • Specialized
: meatal
  • The patient underwent a left-sided middle meatal antrostomy and removal of the last two left upper molars.
  • middle meatal
  • meatal antrostomies
  • meatal antrostomy

Examples

  • The meatal skin flap was elevated, and the posterior portion of the anulus tympanicus was exposed.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Her history was notable for sinus surgery 5 years earlier, which included bilateral middle meatal antrostomies.

    Academic text (2009)
  • The area was repaired with a free temporalis fascia graft, Avitene, Gelfoam, and a middle meatal spacer.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Conventional treatment consists of ethmoidectomy and middle meatal antrostomy with removal of the allergic mucus, followed by postoperative oral corticosteroids.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Coronal CT shows bilateral maxillary sinusitis with obstruction of the middle meatal antrostomies by hypertrophic middle turbinates.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Therefore, when surgeons wish to explore and decompress the meatal foramen and the proximal labyrinthine portion of the facial nerve, we should use the middle fossa approach.

    Academic text (2004)
  • The surgeon performed a middle meatal antrostomy to improve sinus drainage.

  • During the operation, they accessed the maxillary sinus through the meatal passage.

  • In her explanation, she noted that the meatal opening plays a crucial role in nasal function.

Surface Forms

meatal positive

Morphology

meatal = meatus (semi-transparent) = meatus + al

The adjective is transparently formed from the noun 'meatus' plus the relational suffix '-al', but the base is a specialized medical term that many learners will not know.

Etymology

Meatal comes from the Latin meatus, which means 'passage' or 'opening'. So meatal describes something that relates to a natural opening or small canal in the body.