percutan

Percutan is a medical term used to describe procedures, access routes, or therapies that involve the skin. In English, the corresponding term is percutaneous. The word is used in several languages to denote actions performed through a skin puncture or via the skin, without large open incisions.

In medical practice, percutaneous techniques are typically minimally invasive. They use small punctures, needles, or catheters to reach internal organs or vessels, often guided by imaging such as ultrasound, CT, or fluoroscopy. Benefits commonly cited include shorter recovery times, reduced tissue disruption, and the possibility of performing procedures on patients who are poor candidates for open surgery. Potential risks include bleeding, infection, injury to nearby structures, and, in some procedures, pneumothorax or contrast-related complications.

Common percutaneous procedures and concepts include:

- Percutaneous biopsy, where tissue is removed through the skin for diagnostic analysis.

- Percutaneous nephrostomy or biliary drainage, creating an internal tract to the kidney or bile ducts via the skin.

- Percutaneous drainage of abscesses.

- Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and other endovascular procedures, which access the vasculature through needle puncture in the skin.

- Percutaneous drug delivery or transdermal administration, where medications pass through the skin.

Percutan-related approaches contrast with open surgical techniques and direct visualization methods. They are often chosen to minimize invasiveness, when feasible, while achieving diagnostic or therapeutic goals. See also transdermal delivery, endovascular access, and percutaneous biopsy.