Editing Trepanning (section)

{{Short description|Surgically drilling a hole in the skull}}
{{Redirect|Trepanation}}
{{Distinguish|Trepanging}}
[[File:Hieronymus Bosch 053 detail.jpg|thumb|325px|Detail from ''[[The Extraction of the Stone of Madness (The Cure of Folly)|The Extraction of the Stone of Madness]]'', a painting by [[Hieronymus Bosch]] depicting trepanation ({{circa|1488–1516}})]]

'''Trepanning''', also known as '''trepanation''', '''trephination''', '''trephining''' or making a '''burr hole''' (the verb ''trepan'' derives from [[Old French]] from [[Medieval Latin]] {{lang|la|trepanum}} from [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] {{lang|grc-Latn|trúpanon}}, literally "borer, auger"),<ref>{{OEtymD|trepan}}</ref><ref>{{LSJ|tru/panon|τρύπανον|ref}}. [[Henry Liddell|Liddell, Henry George]]; [[Robert Scott (philologist)|Scott, Robert]]; ''[[A Greek–English Lexicon]]'' at the [[Perseus Project]].</ref> is a surgical intervention in which a hole is [[drill]]ed or scraped into the [[human skull]]. The intentional perforation of the cranium exposes the ''[[dura mater]]'' to treat health problems related to intracranial diseases or release pressured blood buildup from an injury. It may also refer to any "[[Burr (cutter)|burr]]" hole created through other body surfaces, including nail beds. A [[trephine]] is an instrument used for cutting out a round piece of skull bone to relieve pressure beneath a surface.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Backhouse |first=Sarah |date=2013-10-25 |title=A hole in the head {{!}} RCP Museum |url=https://history.rcp.ac.uk/blog/hole-head |access-date=November 24, 2024 |website=Royal College of Physicians}}</ref>

Trepanning was sometimes performed on people who were behaving in a manner that was considered abnormal. In some ancient societies it was believed this released the evil spirits that were to blame.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nolen-Hoeksema |title=Abnormal Psychology |edition=6th |publisher=McGraw-Hill Education |year=2014 }}</ref> Evidence of trepanation has been found in prehistoric human remains from [[Neolithic]] times onward. The bone that was trepanned was kept by the prehistoric people and may have been worn as a charm to keep evil spirits away. Evidence also suggests that trepanation was primitive emergency surgery after head wounds<ref name="Weber" /> to remove shattered bits of bone from a fractured skull and clean out the blood that often pools under the skull after a blow to the head. Hunting accidents, falls, wild animals, and weapons such as clubs or spears could have caused such injuries. Trepanations appear to have been most common in areas where weapons that could produce skull fractures were used.<ref name="Rogers">{{cite book |last1=Rogers |first1=Spencer |title=Primitive Surgery: Skills Before Science |date=1985 |publisher=Charles C. Thomas |location=Springfield, IL |isbn=0-398-05123-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/primitivesurgery00roge/page/17 17-18] |url=https://archive.org/details/primitivesurgery00roge }}</ref> The primary theories for the practice of trepanation in ancient times include spiritual purposes and treatment for epilepsy, head wound, mental disorders, and headache, although the latter may be just an unfounded myth.<ref name=":2"/><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Butticè |first=Claudio |title=What you need to know about headaches |date=April 2022 |publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]] |isbn=978-1-4408-7531-1 |location=Santa Barbara, California |pages=29–30 |oclc=1259297708}}</ref>

In modern eye surgery, a trephine instrument is used in [[Cornea transplant|corneal transplant surgery]]. The procedure of drilling a hole through a fingernail or toenail is also known as trephination. It is performed by a physician or surgeon to relieve the pain associated with a [[subungual hematoma]] (blood under the nail); a small amount of blood is expressed through the hole and the pain associated with the pressure is partially alleviated. Similarly, in abdominal surgery, a trephine incision is when a small disc of abdominal skin is excised to accommodate a [[Stoma (medicine)|stoma]]. Although the abdominal wall does not contain bone, the use of the word ''trephine'' in this context may relate to the round excised area of skin being similar in shape to a burr hole.