What does trephination mean?
Trephination is the surgical operation of making an opening in the skull, traditionally by cutting or drilling away a disk of bone with an instrument called a trephine. The procedure has been used to reach the brain, remove diseased bone or tissue, and, especially in emergencies, relieve dangerous pressure caused by bleeding or swelling inside the skull. Although it now sounds antiquated, trephination remains part of modern neurosurgical practice in procedures known as burr-hole trephination. The word also has a striking historical dimension: archaeologists have found prehistoric skulls with deliberately made openings, some showing evidence that the patients survived for weeks or months afterward. The term is consequently associated both with ancient surgery and with modern trauma care. It is especially useful for understanding the long history of attempts to treat injuries and diseases involving the brain, while distinguishing the operation itself from the trephine instrument used to perform it.
nounThe surgical operation of making a hole in the skull, usually with a trephine, to expose the brain or relieve pressure within the skull.
- The surgical procedure of perforating the skull to access the brain, relieve intracranial pressure, or remove a section of bone.
"Emergency trephination can rapidly reduce pressure when blood accumulates inside the skull."
"The surgeon performed emergency trephination after the scan showed dangerous pressure inside the skull."
"Archaeologists examined a prehistoric skull bearing evidence of trephination."
The word is usually treated as uncountable when referring to the procedure generally; the plural is uncommon but can indicate separate operations.
"The records describe several trephinations performed over the course of the night."
Long before modern surgery, prehistoric healers drilled holes in skulls—and some of their patients apparently survived.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does trephination come from?
Trephination was formed in English from trephine plus the suffix -ation. Trephine came through French from Medieval Latin trephina, ultimately deriving from the Greek trēphēn, meaning “to bore.” Related English forms include trepan, trepanation, trepanning, and trephining.
How trephination is actually used
This is chiefly a formal medical and historical term. In modern practice, burr-hole trephination is common, while the expression also evokes ancient and early modern surgical procedures. The alternative spelling trepanation is also encountered.
Easily confused with trephination
Trephination is the operation of perforating the skull, whereas a trephine is the surgical instrument used to make the opening.
A trepan can refer to an instrument resembling a trephine or, historically, to the procedure of perforating the skull.