Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
sigmoidectomy

sigmoidectomy

9.9
An operation to remove part of the lower large intestine, often to treat cancer
  • noun
  • /sɪɡˌmɔɪˈdɛktəmi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sigmoidectomía
  • The surgeon performed a sigmoidectomy to remove the cancerous section of the patient's colon.

Examples

  • Complications following a sigmoidectomy may include infection or bleeding, which are carefully monitored.

  • After her sigmoidectomy, she spent a few days recovering in the hospital before going home.

  • The doctor recommended a sigmoidectomy to treat the patient's cancer.

  • After the sigmoidectomy, the patient felt much better.

  • The surgeon performed a sigmoidectomy to remove the cancerous section of the patient's colon.

  • Complications following a sigmoidectomy may include infection or bleeding, which are carefully monitored.

  • After her sigmoidectomy, she spent a few days recovering in the hospital before going home.

Synonyms

colectomy
vssigmoidectomy
  • Specialized
1 7.2

An operation to remove all or part of the large intestine

is limited to removing only the lower sigmoid section rather than the whole colon

Surface Forms

sigmoidectomy singular
sigmoidectomies plural

Morphology

sigmoidectomy = sigmoid (semi-transparent) = sigmoid + ectomy

The form clearly combines 'sigmoid' with the medical suffix '-ectomy' meaning removal, but the term is specialized and not fully inferable for an average learner.

Etymology

Sigmoidectomy breaks into two parts: sigmoid meaning 'S-shaped', like the letter sigma, and -ectomy meaning 'cutting out', the same ending in appendectomy. So a sigmoidectomy is an operation to 'cut out' the S-shaped part of the colon.