n. pl. fis·tu·lasor fis·tu·lae (-lē′) 1. A duct or passage resulting from injury, disease, or a congenital disorder that connects an abscess, cavity, or hollow organ to the body surface or to another hollow organ. 2. Such a passage that has been created intentionally, especially a surgically constructed connection between an artery and a vein that is used for vascular access in hemodialysis. [Middle English, from Latin, hollow stalk of a reed, pipe, fistula (in the medical sense, probably calqued on Greek surinx, panpipe, fistula); perhaps akin to Latin festūca, straw, stalk; see FESCUE.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.