<Tr> <Th> MedlinePlus </Th> <Td> 002955 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> (edit on Wikidata) </Td> </Tr> <P> Tracheotomy (US: / ˌtreɪkiˈɒtəmi / tray - kee - AW - tə - mee) or tracheostomy, is a surgical procedure which consists of making an incision on the anterior aspect of the neck and opening a direct airway through an incision in the trachea (windpipe). The resulting stoma (hole), can serve independently as an airway or as a site for a tracheal tube or tracheostomy tube to be inserted; this tube allows a person to breathe without the use of the nose or mouth . </P> <P> The etymology of the word tracheotomy comes from two Greek words: the root tom - (from Greek τομή tomḗ) meaning "to cut", and the word trachea (from Greek τραχεία tracheía). The word tracheostomy, including the root stom - (from Greek στόμα stóma) meaning "mouth," refers to the making of a semi-permanent or permanent opening, and to the opening itself . Some sources offer different definitions of the above terms . Part of the ambiguity is due to the uncertainty of the intended permanence of the stoma at the time it is created . </P>

What is a stoma in the throat for