- acetowhitening
- Blanching of skin or mucous membranes after application of 3–5% acetic acid solution, a sign of increased cellular protein and increased nuclear density; used particularly on genital skin and mucous membranes, including the uterine cervix, to identify zones of squamous cell change for biopsy and condyloma acuminatum for treatment. SYN: visual inspection with acetic acid. [acetic acid + whitening]
* * *
ace·to·whit·en·ing (ə-se″to-hwiґtən-ing) the process by which certain subclinical lesions of the skin or mucous membranes, especially warts caused by human papillomavirus, become temporarily colorless when acetic acid is applied topically.
Medical dictionary. 2011.