Extrusion of the abdominal VISCERA or internal organs, usually as the result of serious injury. (Usually described as disembowelment when deliberately carried out by one person on another.) In surgery the term refers to part-removal of the viscera, and in OPHTHALMOLOGY it is an operation to remove the contents of the eyeball (see also EYE).
n. 1. (in surgery) the removal of the viscera. 2. (in ophthalmology) an operation in which the contents of the eyeball are removed, the empty outer envelope (sclera) being left behind. Compare enucleation.
(necropsy, post mortem) n. a review of the clinical history of a deceased person followed by external examination of the body, evisceration and dissection of the internal organs, and ancillary investigations (such as histopathology, microbiology, or toxicology) to determine the cause of death. Autopsies may be performed on the instruction of a medicolegal authority or at the request of clinicians (with consent of the family). In addition to determining the cause of death, autopsies have a role in research, audit, clinical governance, and medical education.... autopsy
Health Encyclopedia