Medical Encyclopedia: Noninvasive (Print Version)

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Medical Encyclopedia: Noninvasive

URL of this page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002269.htm

Definition

The term noninvasive can refer to diseases, procedures, or devices:

Noninvasive diseases usually do not spread to or damage other organs and tissues.
Noninvasive procedures do not involve tools that break the skin or physically enter the body. Examples include x-rays, a standard eye exam, CT scan, MRI, ECG, and Holter monitoring.
Noninvasive devices include hearing aids, external splints, and casts.

Noninvasive is the opposite of invasive.

Update Date: 1/22/2007

Updated by: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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