Medical Dictionary
Main Entry:
Syme's amputation Pronunciation:
'sImz- Variant:
or Syme amputation /'sIm-/ Function:
noun : amputation of thefoot through the articulation of the ankle with removal of the malleoli of the tibia and fibula —compare
PIROGOFF'SAMPUTATION Syme,
James (1799–1870), British surgeon. Syme was generally recognized as one of the leading surgical authorities of his time. During his lifetimehe held the positions of surgeon to the queen in Scotland, senior attending surgeon at the Royal Infirmary, and professor of clinical surgery at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He performed hisfirst amputation at the ankle on a patient suffering from osteomyelitis of the foot. He described the operation in an 1843 medical communication.
