A surgical operation in which all or part of a joint is surgically removed or excised.
From Greek 'arthron' (joint) + '-ectomy' (surgical removal). This precise medical term describes the complete or partial removal of joint tissue, developed as surgical techniques advanced in the 1900s.
A partial arthrectomy might remove just the damaged cartilage surfaces, while a complete arthrectomy removes the entire joint—but surgeons have learned that removing a joint often helps pain more than trying to repair the damaged tissue.
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