stoma
/ˈstəʊmə
/noun (plural stomas or stomata /ˈstəʊmətə/ /stəʊˈmɑːtə/)
1 Botany Any of the minute pores in the epidermis of the leaf or stem of a plant, forming a slit of variable width which allows movement of gases in and out of the intercellular spaces. Also called stomate.Leaf stomata control plant CO 2 absorption through photosynthesis and water loss through transpiration....
- The outer layer of the abaxial epidermis contains sunken stomata with strongly fluorescing chloroplasts in the guard cells.
- However, the presence of both adaxial and abaxial stomata on leaves of T. pusillum var. texanum did differentiate it from other taxa in this species complex.
1.1 Zoology A small mouth-like opening in some lower animals.Note the characteristic long and straight stoma of Rhabditidae, the well-developed teeth at the base of a short stoma of Diplogastridae, the well-sclerotized stoma lining in Panagrolaimidae and the stoma lining divided in several elements of Cephalobidae.
2 Medicine An artificial opening made into a hollow organ, especially one on the surface of the body leading to the gut or trachea.A single lesion involving a tracheotomy stoma was treated with the direct application of the probe without using the bronchoscope....
- One may speculate that the differences in rates of bleeding and infection can be explained by differences in the tracheostomy stoma following these two techniques.
- An ileostomy with two openings includes an open stoma for effluent and another stoma for a mucous fistula.
Derivatives
stomal
- There was 1 case of tracheo-oesophageal fistulae, 3 cases of postoperative dysphagia and 11 cases of stomal stenosis.
- The aperture of the skin barrier should lie within 1/8-inch of the base of the stoma, close enough to protect the peristomal skin yet large enough to prevent trauma to the stomal mucosa.
- Decannulation of these patients was done by either, fenestrating the tube and corking the stomal end of the tube to test for patency of the airway, direct one-time removal of the tube, or by sequential use of tube of decreasing size.
Origin
Late 17th century: modern Latin, from Greek stoma 'mouth'.