"Trepanation" redirects here. For other uses, see Trepanation (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Trepanging.
Trepanning, also known as trepanation, trephination, trephining or making a burr hole (the verb trepan derives from Old French from Medieval Latin trepanum from Greek trúpanon, literally "borer, auger"),[1][2] is a surgical intervention in which a hole is drilled or scraped into the human skull. The intentional perforation of the cranium exposes the dura mater to treat health problems related to intracranial diseases or release pressured blood buildup from an injury. It may also refer to any "burr" hole created through other body surfaces, including nail beds. A trephine is an instrument used for cutting out a round piece of skull bone to relieve pressure beneath a surface.[citation needed]
In ancient times, holes were drilled into a person who was behaving in what was considered an abnormal way to let out what people believed were evil spirits.[3] Evidence of trepanation has been found in prehistoric human remains from Neolithic times onward. The bone that was trepanned was kept by the prehistoric people and may have been worn as a charm to keep evil spirits away. Evidence also suggests that trepanation was primitive emergency surgery after head wounds[4] to remove shattered bits of bone from a fractured skull and clean out the blood that often pools under the skull after a blow to the head. Hunting accidents, falls, wild animals, and weapons such as clubs or spears could have caused such injuries. Trepanations appear to have been most common in areas where weapons that could produce skull fractures were used.[5] The primary theories for the practice of trepanation in ancient times include spiritual purposes and treatment for epilepsy, head wound, mental disorders, and headache, although the latter may be just an unfounded myth.[6][7]
In modern eye surgery, a trephine instrument is used in corneal transplant surgery. The procedure of drilling a hole through a fingernail or toenail is also known as trephination. It is performed by a physician or surgeon to relieve the pain associated with a subungual hematoma (blood under the nail); a small amount of blood is expressed through the hole and the pain associated with the pressure is partially alleviated. Similarly, in abdominal surgery, a trephine incision is when a small disc of abdominal skin is excised to accommodate a stoma. Although the abdominal wall does not contain bone, the use of the word trephine in this context may relate to the round excised area of skin being similar in shape to a burr hole.
^τρύπανον. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.
^Cite error: The named reference Weber was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Rogers, Spencer (1985). Primitive Surgery: Skills Before Science. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. pp. 17-18. ISBN 0-398-05123-2.
^Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Butticè, Claudio (April 2022). What you need to know about headaches. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 29–30. ISBN 978-1-4408-7531-1. OCLC 1259297708.
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showing trepanning hole in back of skull A human skull showing signs of trepanning Celtic museum in Hallein ( Salzburg ). Human skull with trepanation Engraving...
protective covering. Dating back to Neolithic times, a skull operation called trepanning was sometimes performed. This involved drilling a burr hole in the cranium...
circumstances such as bone marrow cancer and leukemia.[citation needed] TrepanTrepanningTrepanation in Mesoamerica Instruments used in general surgery Holmes, Oliver...
peoples around the world, as well as among pre-industrial populations. Trepanning (sometimes Trephining) was a basic surgical operation in which a hole...
of drug-drug interactions. Medicine portal Decompressive craniectomy Trepanning van de Beek D, Drake JM, Tunkel AR (January 2010). "Nosocomial Bacterial...
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BCE) made accounts of using different wines to sedate patients while trepanning. In 60 CE, Dioscorides, a physician, pharmacologist, and botanist, detailed...
industrial metal scene with their 1999 independent self-released album Trepanation. The personnel on the album saw Heacock and Hanks (now respectively re-christened...
would allow to escape. More recent research on the historical practice of trepanning supports the hypothesis that this procedure was medical in nature and...
cognitive effects of cannabis since the 1960s. She has experimented with trepanning, drilling a hole into the skull to expose the dura mater, a technique...
Just Shoot Me! Donnie DiMauro 3 episodes 2000 Strangers with Candy Dr. Trepanning Episode: "Is My Daddy Crazy?" 2001 Night of the Living Doo Himself (voice)...
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therapy Radionics Reiki Traditional medicine Traditional Chinese medicine Trepanning Vertebral subluxation Wind turbine syndrome Social science 2012 phenomenon...
Brodsky, the act of trepanning is to drill a hole in the skull to alleviate stored up pressure in the brain, and the song "Trepanning" lyrically "fully...
performing "Johnny Has Gone for a Soldier" in the Citizens Band's "The Trepanning Opera"". Thecitizensband.net. Retrieved 2 August 2013. "Elson performing...
utilizing methods that many consider to be cruel or barbaric methods. Trepanning was one of these methods used throughout history. In the 6th century AD...
therapy Radionics Reiki Traditional medicine Traditional Chinese medicine Trepanning Vertebral subluxation Wind turbine syndrome Social science 2012 phenomenon...
therapy Radionics Reiki Traditional medicine Traditional Chinese medicine Trepanning Vertebral subluxation Wind turbine syndrome Social science 2012 phenomenon...