As a general surgical technique, enucleation refers to the surgical removal of a mass without cutting into or dissecting it.

Removal of the eye

Enucleation refers to the removal of the eyeball itself, while leaving surrounding tissues intact.

Removal of oral cysts and tumors

In the context of

oral pathology Oral and maxillofacial pathology refers to the diseases of the mouth ("oral cavity" or "stoma"), jaws ("maxillae" or "gnath") and related structures such as salivary glands, temporomandibular joints, facial muscles and perioral skin (the skin arou ...

, enucleation involves

surgical Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

removal of all tissue (both hard and soft) involved in a

lesion A lesion is any damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by disease or trauma. ''Lesion'' is derived from the Latin "injury". Lesions may occur in plants as well as animals. Types There is no designated classifi ...

Removal of uterine fibroids (leiomyomata)

Enucleation is the removal of fibroids without removing the uterus (

hysterectomy Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus. It may also involve removal of the cervix, ovaries (oophorectomy), Fallopian tubes (salpingectomy), and other surrounding structures. Usually performed by a gynecologist, a hysterectomy may b ...

), which is also commonly performed.

References

Surgical procedures and techniques {{treatment-stub