hysterotomy /his′tərot″əmē/ [Gk, hystera + temnein, to cut] , surgical incision of the uterus, performed as a method of abortion in a pregnancy beyond the first trimester of gestation when a saline injection abortion was incomplete or a tubal sterilization is to be done with the abortion. During surgery the lower segment of the uterus is incised, and the products of conception are withdrawn.
