A surgical operation in which the bladder is cut open, usually to remove stones, tumors, or drain fluid.
From Greek 'kystis' (bladder) + 'tome' (to cut). This fundamental urological procedure's name was established as surgical practice formalized in the 17th-18th centuries.
Before anesthesia and antibiotics, cystotomy for removing bladder stones was one of the most painful surgeries imaginable—patients could be awake for it, which is why many people died from shock or infection despite successful stone removal.
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