antrostomy
|an-tros-to-my|
🇺🇸
/ænˈtrɑstəmi/
🇬🇧
/ænˈtrɒstəmi/
surgical opening into an antrum (sinus)
Etymology
'antrostomy' originates from New Latin/modern medical formation, combining the prefix 'antro-' (from Latin 'antrum', from Greek 'ántron' meaning 'cave' or 'cavity') with the suffix '-stomy' (from Greek 'stóma' meaning 'mouth' or 'opening').
'antrostomy' was formed in medical English by combining 'antro-' + '-stomy' (a productive New Latin/modern medical construction) and entered usage in surgical terminology in the 19th–20th centuries.
Initially, the components referred literally to a 'cave/opening' ('antrum') and a 'mouth/opening' ('stoma'); combined in medical use they have consistently meant the surgical creation of an opening into an antrum (now specifically the sinus).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a surgical operation in which an opening is made into an antrum, especially the maxillary sinus.
The surgeon performed an antrostomy to drain the infected maxillary sinus.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/29 18:02