Vetinerary Assistant Practice Exam

What is an enterotomy?

1. An incision into the stomach

2. An incision into the intestine

3. A surgical procedure to remove a tumor

4. A type of intestine biopsy

The correct answer is: An incision into the intestine

An enterotomy refers to a surgical procedure involving an incision made into the intestine. This procedure is often performed in veterinary medicine to access the interior of the intestinal tract for various reasons, such as removing foreign bodies, biopsies, or treating conditions like strictures or tumors that affect the intestine. While the other options describe relevant surgical procedures, they do not accurately define an enterotomy. For instance, an incision into the stomach specifically pertains to a different procedure called a gastrotomy. The act of removing a tumor would generally involve more specific terminology such as resection or excision depending on the context. Lastly, a biopsy of the intestine would commonly involve specific terms denoting the type of biopsy, such as endoscopic or needle biopsy, rather than an enterotomy itself. Thus, the choice that identifies an incision into the intestine is the correct definition for enterotomy.