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Glite Dictionary
vagotomy

vagotomy

1 9.9
An operation that cuts a nerve to reduce stomach acid
  • noun
  • /ˌveɪɡəˈtoʊmi/
  • Specialized
: vagotomía
  • Vagotomy of the right vagus trunk delays the resolution of infectious inflammation.

Examples

  • The surgeon explained that a vagotomy involves cutting the vagus nerve to alleviate gastric issues.

  • Anterior gastrectomy and posterior vagotomy for laparoscopic porthway is a simple, effective, and sure procedure for the treatment of the chronic duodenal ulcer.

    Academic text (2007)

  • If one has damage there for any reason, it is like getting a central vagotomy.

    Blog text (27)

  • In cases of severe ulcers, doctors may recommend a vagotomy to help reduce stomach acid production.

  • After the vagotomy, the patient experienced significant relief from their chronic stomach pain.

Surface Forms

vagotomy singular
vagotomies plural

Morphology

vagotomy = vagus (transparent) = vagus + otomy

Built by the combining form for the vagus nerve plus the medical suffix '-otomy' meaning 'cutting', so it directly denotes cutting of the vagus nerve.

Etymology

Vagotomy comes from the nerve name vagus, which means 'wandering' and is the same root you see in vagabond, and the ending -tomy means 'cutting', as in tracheotomy. So a vagotomy is the cutting of the 'wandering' nerve to reduce stomach acid.