excisional

Excisional is an adjective used in medicine to describe procedures that remove tissue by cutting it out, often including the lesion and a margin of surrounding normal tissue. The term derives from the Latin excisio, meaning the act of cutting out.

In clinical practice, excisional methods include excisional biopsy, where a lesion is removed in its entirety for histopathological examination; this is commonly performed for suspicious skin lesions, polyps, or other lesions where complete removal is both diagnostic and therapeutic. An excisional biopsy typically aims to avoid leaving residual lesion and to provide adequate tissue for evaluation, with margins assessed by pathology.

Excisional surgery can also refer to therapeutic removal of masses or necrotic tissue, such as excisional debridement in wound management, where nonviable tissue is excised to promote healing. In dentistry and oral surgery, excisional biopsy or excisional removal may be performed for lesions of the mucosa or bone.

Contrast with incisional biopsy, where only part of a lesion is removed for diagnostic purposes when complete excision would be impractical or unnecessarily disfiguring. The choice between excisional and incisional approaches depends on factors like lesion size, location, suspected pathology, and the goal of treatment. Potential risks of excisional procedures include bleeding, infection, scarring, and the need for suturing.