A method for making an hermetic and electrically insulating feedthrough in the metal wall of a housing of a device, preferably of an active medical device, is disclosed. The method includes: a) forming electrically insulating layers (24, 26) on each of the internal and external sides of the wall (10), b) on the internal side of the wall, forming a non-through groove with a closed contour (30) defining in the wall a metal islet (28) that is physically and electrically isolated from the rest of the wall, by removing the entire thickness of the electrically insulating internal layer (26) and the wall (10), leaving intact a sufficient thickness of the electrically insulating external layer (24) so that the external layer mechanically supports the metal islet, and c) on the external and internal sides respectively, exposing pads (34, 36) for making an electrical contact to the metallic islet, by a localized removal of material of the electrically insulating external and internal layers (24, 26), respectively.
