intrademal

Intrademal is a term that denotes administration into the dermal layer of the skin. In modern medical usage, the preferred and more widely recognized term is intradermal. Intrademal is often considered a variant spelling or an informal usage, and many references treat it as synonymous with intradermal rather than a distinct route.

Intradermal (and by extension intrademal) injections involve delivering a small volume of substance into the dermis, just beneath the epidermis. Techniques emphasize a shallow needle insertion and a slow deposition to produce a characteristic bleb or wheal. Typical volumes are small, on the order of a few hundred microliters, and the injection is usually made at a low angle to the skin to avoid entering deeper tissues.

Common applications include diagnostic skin testing, such as the tuberculin skin test (Mantoux) and certain allergen tests, where the local dermal reaction provides information about sensitization. Intradermal vaccine administration is used in some regimens to achieve an effective immune response with a smaller dose, though many vaccines are given by the intramuscular route. The choice of intradermal/intrademal delivery depends on the product, clinical objective, and regulatory guidelines.

Safety considerations emphasize proper technique to avoid subcutaneous deposition, infection, or skin irritation. As with other cutaneous injections, adverse local reactions are possible but generally limited to the injection site. In practice, intradermal delivery remains a specialized method primarily used for testing and selected vaccines.