What does curettage mean?
Curettage is a surgical technique in which a clinician scrapes tissue from a body cavity or surface using a curette — a slender instrument with a small, spoon-shaped tip. It is most widely known through the phrase dilation and curettage (D&C), a common gynecological procedure in which the cervix is dilated so that the uterine lining can be removed or sampled, typically after a miscarriage, to diagnose abnormal bleeding, or as part of certain treatments. Dermatologists also use curettage to remove skin lesions, sometimes followed by cauterization. Because it describes an invasive procedure, the word belongs firmly to formal medical register and appears mainly in clinical notes, consent documents, and health literature rather than casual conversation. Its connotations are clinical and neutral, though for patients it may carry emotional weight. Understanding the term is useful for anyone navigating medical records or discussing reproductive healthcare.
nounA surgical procedure in which a body cavity or surface, especially the lining of the uterus, is scraped clean or sampled using a spoon-shaped instrument called a curette.
- The act or technique of scraping out a body cavity, lesion, or surface with a curette, especially removal or sampling of the uterine lining (as in dilation and curettage).
"The surgeon recommended a dilation and curettage to remove the retained tissue."
"After the miscarriage, she underwent a dilation and curettage to ensure the uterus was completely empty."
"The dermatologist treated the basal cell carcinoma by curettage followed by electrodesiccation."
The plural is rare, appearing mainly when referring to repeated procedures or comparing multiple cases.
"Patients who required multiple curettages were monitored more closely for scarring."
Its abbreviation D&C makes 'dilation and curettage' one of the few surgical procedures most people can name without ever having heard the full medical term.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of curettage
Curettage comes from French, formed on 'curette', the diminutive of 'curer' meaning 'to scrape or clean', which traces back through Old French to the Latin verb 'curare', 'to take care of'. The same Latin root gives English words such as 'cure', 'curative', and 'curator', all sharing the underlying sense of care or attention. The term entered English medical vocabulary in the nineteenth century as surgical techniques involving the curette became established practice.
How curettage is actually used
Curettage is strictly a formal medical term, encountered almost exclusively in clinical contexts, pathology reports, and patient-facing healthcare information. It carries no figurative or everyday use. In British medical writing the spelling 'dilatation' is often preferred in 'dilatation and curettage', whereas American usage favors 'dilation'.
Easily confused with curettage
A curette is the spoon-shaped surgical instrument used for scraping, while curettage is the procedure performed with it.
To curate is to select and organize items such as artworks or content; curettage refers only to surgical scraping.