* * *
1. An instrument for cutting thin sections of epidermis/dermis for grafting, or excising small lesions. 2. The dorsolateral part of an embryonic somite. SYN: cutis plate. 3. The area of skin supplied by cutaneous branches from a single spinal nerve; neighboring dermatomes can overlap. SYN: dermatomal distribution, dermatomic area. [dermato- + G. tome, a cutting]
* * *
der·ma·tome 'dər-mə-.tōm n
1) an instrument for cutting skin for use in grafting
2) the lateral wall of a somite from which the dermis is produced
* * *
n.
1. a surgical instrument used for cutting thin slices of skin in some skin grafting operations.
2. that part of the segmented mesoderm in the early embryo that forms the deeper layers of the skin (dermis) and associated tissues. See somite.
* * *
der·ma·tome (durґmə-tōm) [derma- + -tome] 1. an instrument for cutting thin skin slices for skin grafts. 2. the area of skin supplied with afferent nerve fibers by a single posterior spinal root; called also dermatomic area. 3. the lateral portion of a mesodermal somite; the cutis plate.
Anterior and posterior views of the dermatomes. Each segment is named for the principal spinal nerve serving it. V, trigeminal segments; C, cervical segments; T, thoracic segments; L, lumbar segments; S, sacral segments.
Medical dictionary. 2011.