Surgical division of the constriction or strangulation of a hernia, often followed by herniorrhaphy. [hernio- + G. tome, a cutting]
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her·ni·ot·o·my -'ät-ə-mē n, pl -mies the operation of cutting through a band of tissue that constricts a strangulated hernia
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n.
excision of a hernial sac: the first stage of the surgical repair of a hernia. In infants and young muscular subjects it is all that is needed to cure the hernia.
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her·ni·ot·o·my (hə-r″ne-otґə-me) [hernia + -tomy] incision of an inguinal hernia, usually preceding herniorrhaphy.Medical dictionary. 2011.