myotomy /mī·ot″əmē/ [Gk, mys + temnein, to cut] , the dissection or cutting of a muscle, performed to gain access to underlying tissues or to relieve constriction in a sphincter, such as in severe esophagitis or pyloric stenosis. With the patient under general anesthesia, a longitudinal cut is made through the sphincter muscle but not through the mucosa lining the stomach. See also abdominal surgery.
