Excising

Excising is the act of removing tissue, material, or structure from the body or environment. In medical contexts, excising refers specifically to surgical removal of tissue, either for diagnostic evaluation or therapeutic treatment. It is distinguished from incision, which creates access, and from biopsy methods that do not aim to remove all tissue.

In medicine, excision includes excisional biopsy (removing a lesion entirely for histopathology) and definitive surgical removal with margins, such as local excision of skin cancers or excision of tumors. Techniques vary by location and lesion. Skin excisions often use a scalpel to create elliptical or fusiform incisions to remove the lesion with a margin of healthy tissue; the wound is closed with sutures. Other sites may require more extensive planning, imaging guidance, and reconstruction.

Prior to excision, clinicians assess the lesion’s size, depth, and relationship to surrounding structures to determine margins and whether eyelid, breast, or gastrointestinal anatomy can be preserved. The specimen is sent to pathology to confirm diagnosis and margin status.

Risks include bleeding, infection, scarring, anesthesia complications, and, if margins are positive, recurrence. Recovery depends on lesion location and wound size. Alternatives to excision include incisional biopsy (removing only part of a lesion) and non-surgical therapies such as ablation or targeted therapies, depending on lesion type.

Etymology: from Latin excidere, to cut out.