Updated September 07, 2012.

Definition:

An incision is a cut made into the tissues of the body to expose the underlying tissue, bone or organ. Incisions vary widely in size. A traditional "open" incision is a large incision used to perform surgery. The newest trend in surgery is laparoscopic, or minimally invasive (keyhole) incisions, which are much smaller and are just large enough allow surgical instruments to be inserted into the body.

Also Known As: incisions

Examples: The typical incision for an appendectomy used to be four to five inches in length, now, with minimally invasive techniques, there are several incisions less than an inch in length.