EPIDURAL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does epidural mean? 

• EPIDURAL (noun)
  The noun EPIDURAL has 1 sense:

1. regional anesthesia resulting from injection of an anesthetic into the epidural space of the spinal cord; sensation is lost in the abdominal and genital and pelvic areas; used in childbirth and gynecological surgery

  Familiarity information: EPIDURAL used as a noun is very rare.

• EPIDURAL (adjective)
  The adjective EPIDURAL has 1 sense:

1. on or outside the dura mater

  Familiarity information: EPIDURAL used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• EPIDURAL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Regional anesthesia resulting from injection of an anesthetic into the epidural space of the spinal cord; sensation is lost in the abdominal and genital and pelvic areas; used in childbirth and gynecological surgery

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

epidural; epidural anaesthesia; epidural anesthesia

Hypernyms ("epidural" is a kind of...):

regional anaesthesia; regional anesthesia (loss of sensation in a region of the body produced by application of an anesthetic agent to all the nerves supplying that region (as when an epidural anesthetic is administered to the pelvic region during childbirth))

• EPIDURAL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

On or outside the dura mater

Classified under:

Relational adjectives (pertainyms)

Synonyms:

epidural; extradural

Pertainym:

dura mater (the outermost (and toughest) of the 3 meninges)

 Context examples 

An uncommon lipoma characterized by prominent vascularity that arises in the epidural space of the spinal canal.

(Epidural Spinal Canal Angiolipoma, NCI Thesaurus)

A meningioma that arises in the epidural spinal canal space.

(Epidural Spinal Canal Meningioma, NCI Thesaurus)

Intracranial hemorrhage into the epidural space.

(Extradural Hemorrhage, NCI Thesaurus)

Uptake and distribution after epidural administration resembles that seen after intramuscular injection.

(Epidural Route of Administration, NCI Thesaurus)

An epidural injection is given into this space.

(Epidural, NCI Dictionary)

The administration of a drug via injection or infusion into the epidural space, the area immediately adjacent to the outside surface of the dura mater of the spinal cord.

(Peridural Route of Administration, NCI Thesaurus)

An anesthetic procedure that involves administering pharmaceutical agents into the epidural space of the spinal canal.

(Epidural block, NCI Thesaurus)

A team from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), set out to test whether epidural stimulation could restore some hand strength and control in people with tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia (the loss of use of all 4 limbs).

(Spinal cord stimulation helps paralyzed people move hands, NIH)

The drug is also subject to uptake into the rich epidural plexus of veins.

(Epidural Route of Administration, NCI Thesaurus)

Administration of the drug in the epidural space, usually at the lumbar level of the spine.

(Epidural Route of Administration, NCI Thesaurus)