(ex-en-ter-A-shun) : surgery to remove the organs found in the pelvis.

an extensive surgery involving removal of the bladder, female organs, vagina, and sigmoid colon

Surgery to remove the lower colon, rectum, and bladder, and create stomata (openings) through which urine and stool are passed out of the body. In women, the cervix, vagina, ovaries, and nearby lymph nodes are also removed.

Surgical removal of all of the organs of the pelvis; performed to treat cancers of the rectum or other pelvic organs.

Radical surgery to remove the major organs of the pelvis. Can be done for recurrent or widespread cervical cancer in the pelvis if the patient is fit enough for the operation. Can result in a colostomy and a urostomy. Aim is to at least slow the cancer down or may actually cure the cancer in some cases.

Pelvic exenteration is radical surgical treatment that removes the urinary bladder, urethra, vagina, cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, rectum, anus, and in some cases, the vulva. The procedure leaves the patient with a permanent colostomy, where the colonic contents drain into a bag that attaches on the left side of the abdomen. The bladder is reconstructed from bowel to provide a reservoir which empties into a pouch on the abdomen.