diathermy

diathermy /di·a·ther·my/ (di´ah-ther″me) the heating of body tissues due to their resistance to the passage of high-frequency electromagnetic radiation, electric current, or ultrasonic waves.

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short wave diathermy  diathermy with high-frequency current, with frequency from 10 million to 100 million cycles per second and wavelength from 30 to 3 meters.

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di·a·ther·my (d-thûrm)

n.

The therapeutic generation of local heat in body tissues by high-frequency electromagnetic radiation, electric currents, or ultrasonic waves.

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Diathermy

Also called electrocautery, this is a procedure that heats and destroys abnormal cells. It is gradually being replaced by cryosurgery, lasers, or LEEP.

Mentioned in: Colposcopy

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diathermy

[dī′əthur′mē]

Etymology: Gk, dia + therme, heat

the production of heat in body tissues for therapeutic purposes by high-frequency currents that are insufficiently intense to destroy tissues or to impair their vitality. Diathermy is used in treating chronic arthritis, bursitis, fractures, gynecologic diseases, sinusitis, and other conditions.

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diathermy (dīˑ··thr·mē),

n a treatment that uses pulsations of electrical energy to generate heat and enhances local recovery. The high energy pulsations of electrical energy are applied for shortened periods of time. See also disease, pelvic inflammatory.

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diathermy (di´thur´mē),

n a generalized rise in tissue temperature produced by a high-frequency alternating current between two electrodes. The temperature rise is produced without causing tissue damage.

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diathermy

the use of high-frequency electrical currents as a form of physical therapy and in surgical procedures.

Diathermy is used in physical therapy to deliver moderate heat directly to pathological lesions in the deeper tissues of the body. Surgically, the extreme heat that can be produced by diathermy may be used to destroy neoplasms, warts and infected tissues, and to cauterize blood vessels to prevent excessive bleeding. The technique is particularly valuable in neurosurgery and surgery of the eye. See also electrosurgery.

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surgical diathermy

electrosurgery.

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diathermy

Sports medicine The use of high-frequency electromagnetic waves to ↑ temperature of deep tissues due to resistance to the passage of energy Types Microwave diathermy, shortwave diathermy See Microwave diathermy, Shortwave diathermy Surgery Cauterization, see there.