A surgical procedure to puncture or tap the skull or brain tissue to remove fluid or relieve pressure.
From Greek 'kephale' (head) + 'kentesis' (pricking, puncturing). Medical procedure combining head location with the action of needle puncture.
Doctors sometimes use this procedure to relieve dangerous pressure from fluid buildup in the brain—it's essentially ancient trepanation with modern precision, and evidence shows surgeons have been drilling skulls for this purpose for over 10,000 years.
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