thymectomy

1 8.6

An operation that removes the small gland in the chest called the thymus

noun
/θaɪˈmɛk.tə.mi/

Specialized

: timectomía

After the thymectomy, she felt much better.

Examples

After her thymectomy, she needed to stay in the hospital for several days.
The surgeon performed a thymectomy to help treat the patient's autoimmune disorder.
A thymectomy is sometimes recommended for patients with myasthenia gravis.
The doctor performed a thymectomy on the patient.
The surgeon explained that a thymectomy is necessary to treat the patient's myasthenia gravis.
After the thymectomy, the patient experienced significant improvement in their symptoms.
The medical team discussed the risks and benefits of performing a thymectomy for the tumor.

How Invasive

radical mastectomy

Specialized

3 6.1

major surgery

Specialized

12 4.0

thymectomy

Specialized

1 8.6

endoscopic

Specialized

4 5.4

to biopsy

Specialized

9 4.9

Surface Forms

thymectomy singular

thymectomies plural

Morphology

thymectomy = thymus (opaque) = thymus + ectomy

The word is formally built from 'thymus' and the medical suffix '-ectomy', but the surgical meaning depends on specialised medical vocabulary and is not easily recoverable for an average learner.

Etymology

The word thymectomy comes from Greek thymus, named after the herb 'thyme' because the small gland reminded early doctors of the plant, and the ending -ectomy means 'cutting out', as in appendectomy. So, a thymectomy is the surgical 'cutting out' or removal of the thymus gland.