needle

1. A slender, solid, usually sharp-pointed instrument used for puncturing tissues, suturing, or passing a ligature around or through a vessel. 2. A hollow n. used for injection, aspiration, biopsy, or to guide introduction of a catheter into a vessel or other space. 3. To separate the tissues by means of one or two needles, in the dissection of small parts. 4. To perform discission of a cataract by means of a knife n.. [M.E. nedle, fr. A.S. naedl]

- aneurysm n., artery n. a blunt-pointed, curved n., set in a handle, with the eye at the point, used for passing a ligature around an artery.

- aspirating n. a hollow n. used for withdrawing fluid from a cavity, when combined with an aspirator tube attached to one end.

- atraumatic n. an eyeless surgical n. with the suture permanently fastened into a hollow end.

- biopsy n. a hollow n. used to obtain a core of tissue for histologic study.

- cataract n. SYN: knife n..

- cutting n. a surgical n. with angulated surface designed to puncture tough tissue.

- Deschamps n. a n. with a long shaft for passing sutures in the deep tissues.

- Emmet n. a strong n. with the eye in the point, having a wide curve, and set in a handle, used to pass a ligature around an undissected structure.

- exploring n. a strong n. with a longitudinal groove, which is thrust into a tumor or cavity to determine the presence of fluid, the latter escaping along the groove.

- Francke n. a small lancet-shaped, spring-activated n., used to evacuate a small effusion of blood.

- Frazier n. a n. for draining lateral ventricles of brain.

- Gillmore n. a device for obtaining the setting time of dental cement.

- Hagedorn n. a curved surgical n. flattened on the sides.

- hypodermic n. a hollow n., similar to but smaller than an aspirating n., attached to a syringe; used primarily for injection.

- knife n. a very narrow, n.-pointed knife used in discission of a cataract. SYN: cataract n..

- lumbar puncture n. a n., provided with a stylet, for entering the spinal canal or cisterna magna, with a bore of at least 1 mm and 40 mm or more in length.

- Millner n. a fine, non-cutting n. with eye for thread frequently used for suture of skin.

- Salah sternal puncture n. a wide-bore n. for obtaining samples of red marrow from the sternum.

- spatula n. a minute n. with a flat (noncutting) concave surface, used by eye surgeons.

- stop-n. a surgical n., with the eye at the tip, the shank of which has a projecting shelf to arrest the n. when it has passed the desired distance through the tissues.

- Tuohy n. a n. with a lateral opening at the distal end, designed to cause a catheter passing through the n.'s lumen to exit laterally at a 45° angle; used to place catheters into the subarachnoid or epidural space.

- Veress n. a n. equipped with a spring loaded obturator that is used for insufflation of the abdomen in laparoscopic surgery.

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nee·dle 'nēd-əl n

1) a small slender usu. steel instrument designed to carry sutures when sewing tissues in surgery

2) a slender hollow instrument for introducing material into or removing material from the body parenterally

needle vt, nee·dled; nee·dling 'nēd-liŋ, -əl-iŋ to puncture, operate on, or inject with a needle <needling a cataract>

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n.

a slender sharp-pointed instrument used for a variety of purposes. Needles used for sewing up tissue during surgery are of various designs, for specific operations; they are equipped with an eye for threading suture material or they have the suture material fused onto them (so-called atraumatic needles). Hollow needles are used to inject substances into the body (in hypodermic syringes), to obtain specimens of tissue (see puncture), or to withdraw fluid from a cavity (see aspiration, biopsy). See also stop needle.

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nee·dle (neґdəl) [L. acus] 1. a sharp instrument for suturing or puncturing. 2. to puncture with a needle, as in discission of the lens for treatment of cataract.