What does paracentesis mean?
Paracentesis is a medical procedure involving the insertion of a needle or catheter into a body cavity to remove fluid. It is especially associated with the abdomen, where excess fluid, or ascites, can accumulate and cause pain, swelling, or difficulty breathing. The procedure may be performed to relieve symptoms or to obtain fluid for diagnostic testing. Although “paracentesis” is the precise clinical term, patients and non-specialists sometimes hear the expression “abdominal tap.” In modern medicine, ultrasound may help guide the process, and the withdrawn fluid can be examined for infection, blood, or other abnormalities. The term combines Greek elements associated with being beside and puncturing.
nounA medical procedure in which a hollow needle or catheter is inserted into a body cavity to withdraw fluid. It is most commonly used to remove excess fluid from the abdomen in conditions such as ascites.
- A procedure for removing fluid from a body cavity, especially the abdominal cavity, by needle or catheter drainage.
"The patient underwent paracentesis to relieve the pressure caused by abdominal fluid accumulation."
"Abdominal paracentesis is often performed when fluid builds up in the abdomen."
"Clinicians may use paracentesis for diagnostic testing as well as therapeutic drainage."
The plural is paracenteses.
"Several paracenteses were performed during the patient's hospitalization."
The word comes from Greek roots meaning “beside” and “puncture,” a fitting description of a procedure that enters a body cavity to drain fluid.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does paracentesis come from?
The word was formed in the 19th century from Greek para-, meaning “beside” or “alongside,” and kentesis, meaning “puncture” or “pricking.” The underlying sense was therefore a puncture made through the body wall for medical purposes. The same Greek root appears in related clinical terms such as thoracentesis, arthrocentesis, and amniocentesis.
How paracentesis is actually used
This is a formal medical term. In specialist writing, it is often modified by the body cavity involved, as in “abdominal paracentesis”; the colloquial phrase “abdominal tap” is more accessible for general audiences.