Definition

1. Noun:
   • A surgical instrument for cutting thin slices of skin: A dermatome is a precise surgical tool designed to harvest very thin, uniform sections of skin, typically for skin grafting procedures.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The surgeon used a dermatome to obtain a graft from the patient's thigh.
  • Modern electric dermatomes allow for more control and consistency than older manual models.

Advanced Usage

• The term can also refer to an area of skin supplied by a single spinal nerve in embryology and neurology. However, this is a distinct, specialized meaning.
  • The rash followed the specific pattern of a single dermatome, indicating nerve involvement.

Variants and Related Words

• Dermatomal (adj): Pertaining to a dermatome (either the instrument or the skin area).
  • The dermatomal distribution of the pain was classic for shingles.

Synonyms

• Skin graft knife: A more descriptive, non-technical synonym.
• Microtome (specifically for histological sections, but conceptually similar in function).

Notes on Different Meanings

• Medical Instrument: The primary definition refers to the surgical device.
• Embryological/Neurological Term: In anatomy, a "dermatome" is a zone of skin innervated by sensory fibers from one dorsal root of a spinal nerve. These two meanings are homographs (same spelling, different origins and meanings).

Noun

1. a surgical instrument used to cut very thin slices of skin