effacement (histology)

Effacement is the shortening, or thinning, of a tissue.

It can refer to cervical effacement. It can also refer to a process occurring in podocytes in nephrotic syndrome.{{cite journal |vauthors=Wagner MC, Rhodes G, Wang E, etal |title=Ischemic injury to kidney induces glomerular podocyte effacement and dissociation of slit diaphragm proteins Neph1 and ZO-1 |journal=J. Biol. Chem. |volume=283 |issue=51 |pages=35579–89 |date=December 2008 |pmid=18922801 |pmc=2602882 |doi=10.1074/jbc.M805507200 |doi-access=free }}

In histopathology, it refers to the near obliteration of a tissue, as in the normal parenchyma of tissues in the case of some cancers.