ablation
Tissue removal procedure
Ablation is the removal or destruction of material from a surface.
In medicine, it refers to the surgical removal of tissue or the destruction of abnormal cells, often using heat, cold, or radiofrequency energy: cardiac ablation to treat arrhythmia.
In geology and glaciology, ablation describes the loss of ice or snow through melting, evaporation, or wind erosion.
In aerospace, ablation is the controlled burning away of a heat shield's outer layer to protect spacecraft during reentry.
Surgical tissue removal
- excisionCutting out of tissue
- debridementRemoving damaged tissue surgically
- scalpelPrecise surgical knife
- incisionControlled cut into tissue
cauterization · surgeon · dissection · hemostasis · biopsy · laparoscopic · endoscopic · tissue
Glacier-deposited debris pile
- cirqueGlacier-carved mountain basin
- glacierSlow-moving ice mass
- calvingIce mass separation
- firnYear-old compacting snow
crevasse · drumlin · icefield · accumulation · meltwater · till · erosion · striations
Electromagnetic waves for communication
- catheterInserted medical drainage tube
- electrophysiologyBiology's electrical activity science
- arrhythmiaAbnormal cardiac rhythm
- tumorAbnormal tissue mass
lesion · ablate · endometrial · cardiology · fibroids · laser · neurology · coagulation
Gradual wearing away
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- scouringVigorous abrasive cleaning
- deflationSustained decrease in prices
- abrasionShallow surface wound
wind · exfoliation · denudation · sediment · fluvial · geomorphology · landform · surface
Coming back in
- spacecraftVehicle for outer space
- atmosphericOf the air above
- trajectoryPath of moving object
- capsuleEnclosed dose container
shuttle · orbital · tiles · friction · descent · meteor · aerodynamic · NASA
resection
Surgical tissue removal
- excisionCutting out of tissue
- debridementRemoving damaged tissue surgically
- scalpelPrecise surgical knife
incision · cauterization · surgeon · dissection · hemostasis · biopsy · laparoscopic · endoscopic · tissue · operative
moraine
Glacier-deposited debris pile
firn · crevasse · drumlin · icefield · accumulation · meltwater · till · erosion · striations · outwash
radiofrequency
Electromagnetic waves for communication
- catheterInserted medical drainage tube
- electrophysiologyBiology's electrical activity science
- arrhythmiaAbnormal cardiac rhythm
tumor · lesion · ablate · endometrial · cardiology · fibroids · laser · neurology · coagulation · thermal
erosion
Gradual wearing away
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- scouringVigorous abrasive cleaning
- deflationSustained decrease in prices
abrasion · wind · exfoliation · denudation · sediment · fluvial · geomorphology · landform · surface · rock
reentry
Coming back in
- spacecraftVehicle for outer space
- atmosphericOf the air above
- trajectoryPath of moving object
capsule · shuttle · orbital · tiles · friction · descent · meteor · aerodynamic · NASA · rocket
- medical proceduressurgery, transplant, bypass surgery, biopsy, heart surgery
- treatmentstreatment, treatments, medication, medicine, therapies
- cardiologyheart attack, heart failure, heart rate, heartbeat, cardiologist
- glaciersglacier, crevasse, glacial movement, moraine, iceberg
- gynecologyPap smear, cervix, pelvic exam, colposcopy, ovary
- neuroscienceneuron, MRI, brain, neurons, synapses
ablationaccumulation
Collected mass over time
accretion · deposition · buildup · aggregation · addition
ablationregeneration
Biological self-repair process
preservation · tissue growth · grafting · implantation · restoration
- ablative materialsSubstances that erode protectively