endarterectomy

noun

end·​ar·​ter·​ec·​to·​my ˌen-ˌdär-tə-ˈrek-tə-mē 

plural endarterectomies

: surgical removal of the inner layer of an artery when thickened and atheromatous or occluded (as by intimal plaques)

Examples of endarterectomy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

His son, Tyler McDowell, tells Rolling Stone that the 75-year-old singer will have a carotid endarterectomy on July 22 to remove plaque buildup from an artery. — Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 17 July 2025

The patients underwent carotid endarterectomies, a procedure in which the artery is opened and the plaque is cleaned out. — Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024

At the time, the singer-songwriter underwent a carotid endarterectomy, a procedure to remove plaque from the arteries running through your neck to your brain, according to the Cleveland Clinic. — Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 27 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

New Latin endarterium intima of an artery (from end- + arteria artery) + English -ectomy

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for endarterectomy

• adrenalectomy
• cholecystectomy
• hypophysectomy
• lymphadenectomy
• ovariectomy
• pancreatectomy
• appendectomy
• hepatectomy
• hysterectomy
• iridectomy
• laminectomy
• laryngectomy

Medical Definition

endarterectomy

noun

end·​ar·​ter·​ec·​to·​my ˌen-ˌdärt-ə-ˈrek-tə-mē 

plural endarterectomies

: surgical removal of the inner layer of an artery when thickened and atheromatous or occluded (as by intimal plaques)