| trephine | <surgery> An instrument for trepanning, being an improvement on the trepan. It is a circular or cylindrical saw, with a handle like that of a gimlet, and a little sharp perforator called the center pin. Origin: A dim. Of 1st trepan: cf. F. Trephine. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
|---|---|
| trephine biopsy | <haematology, procedure> Removal of a small core of bone marrow under local anaesthetic. It is used to assess bone marrow structure, the number and distribution of all the blood cell types. (19 Jan 1998) |