commissurotomy: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Very LowTechnical/Medical
Quick answer
What does “commissurotomy” mean?
A surgical incision or division of a commissure, particularly the joining point between two sides of a body part.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A surgical incision or division of a commissure, particularly the joining point between two sides of a body part.
Most specifically, a surgical procedure to divide the corpus callosum or another cerebral commissure, typically performed to treat severe epilepsy or other neurological conditions.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant spelling or definition differences. Both use the same form and meaning.
Connotations
Equally technical in both varieties.
Frequency
Extremely rare outside professional medical literature in both dialects.
Grammar
How to Use “commissurotomy” in a Sentence
The patient underwent a commissurotomy.The surgeon performed a commissurotomy on the corpus callosum.A commissurotomy was indicated for the severe stenosis.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “commissurotomy” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The surgical team will commissurotomise the anterior commissure.
- The patient was commissurotomised last year.
American English
- The neurosurgeon plans to commissurotomize the corpus callosum.
- The valve was commissurotomized to relieve the stenosis.
adverb
British English
- The corpus callosum was surgically divided commissurotomically.
American English
- The valve was treated commissurotomically.
adjective
British English
- The commissurotomy procedure was deemed successful.
- We reviewed the commissurotomy case studies.
American English
- The patient's post-commissurotomy recovery was monitored.
- A commissurotomy approach was considered.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Never used.
Academic
Exclusively in advanced medical, neuroscientific, or cardiology texts and journals.
Everyday
Virtually never used.
Technical
The primary context, used precisely in surgery reports, neurology, and cardiology.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “commissurotomy”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “commissurotomy”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “commissurotomy”
- Misspelling: 'commisurotomy' (missing an 's'), 'comissurotomy'.
- Incorrect use as a general term for any brain surgery.
- Incorrect plural: 'commissurotomies' is correct, but 'commissurotomys' is wrong.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, while most famously referring to corpus callosum division for epilepsy, it also applies to similar procedures on heart valves (e.g., mitral commissurotomy) and in ophthalmology.
Callosotomy is a specific type of commissurotomy that targets the corpus callosum. 'Commissurotomy' is the general term for dividing any commissure.
Patients often live relatively normal lives but may experience 'split-brain' phenomena where the two hemispheres process information independently, which can be detected in specialised tests.
It describes a very specific and now less common surgical procedure, used only in highly technical medical contexts, making it irrelevant for general communication.
A surgical incision or division of a commissure, particularly the joining point between two sides of a body part.
Commissurotomy is usually technical/medical in register.
Commissurotomy: in British English it is pronounced /ˌkɒmɪsjʊəˈrɒtəmi/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌkɑːmɪˌʃʊrˈɑːtəmi/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “To have a split-brain (following a corpus callosum commissurotomy)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think 'COMMIssioner + SURgery + TOMY (cutting)' – a commissioner's meeting is cut in two, like the brain's commissure is surgically split.
Conceptual Metaphor
Cutting the bridge between two lands (brain hemispheres).
Practice
Quiz
In which medical specialty is 'commissurotomy' most commonly used?