Medical Terminology

Chapters 1 through 4

Elements of a medical term:

Root word Combining form Suffixes Prefixes

Root Words

Basic meaning of the medical word Usually refers to a part of the body or a

type of disease or procedure

Root Words: Examples

Derm=skin Examples: dermatitis, dermatome Card=Heart Examples: cardiologist,

echocardiogram

Synonymous Roots:

Latin roots refer to anatomy Example: Oris (mouth), orbicularis oris Greek roots refer to disease and

treatments Example: stoma (mouth), stomatitis,

colostomy stoma

Combining Form:

Vowel added to root word Linguistically enables the two elements

to be connected. Usually an “o” Usually needed when the root word

ends in a consonant

Combining Forms: Examples

Nephrologist (a specialist in kidney diseases)

Hepatocyte (a liver cell) Cystoscope (an instrument to look into

the urinary bladder) These roots end in consonants

Combining Forms: Examples

Hypothyroidism-disease in which insufficient thyroid hormone is made

Meningitis-inflammatory or infectious disease of the lining layers of the brain

Vowel follows the root word but is part of the suffixes.

No combining form needed.

Suffixes:

Element added to the END of the medical term.

Modifies or changes the meaning of the word.

Examples: anorexia, gastroscopy

Suffixes:

These elements often determine the definition of the medical term.

-ia or –ism means “condition of” Examples: hypoglycemia, anemia,

hernia, schizophrenia, cryptorchidism, gigantism

Suffixes:

Even more examples: -scope means “instrument used to look

at something” Examples: microscope, anoscope -ectomy means “a procedure to remove

something” Examples: appendectomy,

splenectomy, hemipelvectomy

Suffixes:

Should probably look at the suffix first to determine the meaning of a word

Noun vs. adjective, etc.

Prefixes:

Element added to the beginning of a medical term

Also modifies or changes the meaning of the word.

Prefixes:

Examples: Neurosurgeon (a surgeon who

specializes in the brain & spinal cord) Hyperlipidemic (containing a high

amount of lipids or fats) Anuric (making no urine)

Prefixes: Some Biggies

Hypo-, hyper- (not enough, too much) Hypoglycemic, hypoglycemic Intra-, inter- (inside of, in between) Intracellular, intercellular Pan-, holo- (the entire range of) Pancytopenic, holosystolic Supra-, infra- (above, below) Supraorbital, Infraorbital

Prefixes: It never ends. . .

Micro-, macro- (little, big) Microscopic, macroscopic Dextro-, levo- (right, left) Dextrocardia, levo-thyroxin

Combinations:

Panhypopituitarism is

a. A condition involving the pituitary gland

b. A big scoring word for a Scrabble game

c. Something we just don’t even want to know about

Panhypopituitarism:

Pan / hypo / pituitar / ism What is the root? What is the suffix? What is / are the prefix (es)? What is the combining form?

Panhypopituitarism:

Pan- = entire, all Hypo- = not enough of Pituitar- = pituitary gland, a tiny gland in the

brain that secretes lots of regulatory hormones

-ism = condition of The condition in which the pituitary gland

makes insufficient amounts of all of the pituitary hormones

Examples: Other modifiers

Gastrectomy (gastro /ectomy) Total gastrectomy Subtotal gastrectomy Hypoglycemics (hypo / glyco / emic / s) Oral hypoglycemics

Pleural Forms: Not just –s

-a becomes –ae (hematoma) -ax becomes –aces (pneumothorax) -en becomes –ina (foramen) -is becomes –es (prognosis) -ix or -ex becomes –ices (fornix) -ma becomes –mata (scotoma) -on becomes –a (ganglion)

Pleural forms-continued

-um becomes –a (bacterium) -us becomes –i (bacillus) -y becomes –ies (disability)

Suffix Types:

There’s a million of ‘em. Root word + suffix (if root ends in a

consonant and suffix begins in a vowel) Examples: arthritis arthr / itis An inflammatory condition of the joints

Suffixes: more examples

Root word + suffix Nephrectomy (surgical removal of a

kidney) (nephro / ectomy) Colectomy (surgical removal of a colon

or large bowel) (colo / ectomy)

More Suffixes:

Root word + combining form + suffix Examples: Tracheostomy (trache /o/ stomy) Thoracostomy (thorac/ o/ stomy) Melanocyte (melan / o/ cyte) Erythrocyte (erythr/ o/ cyte)

Common Categories: Suffixes

Procedures/surgeries -ectomy, -centesis, -plasty, -tomy, -stomy

Less common: -pexy, -rraphy, -lysis, -tripsy

Common Categories: Suffixes

Diagnostic tests -gram, -metry, -scopy, -graphy Examples: electroencephalogram

Diagnostic equipment -scope, -meter, -graph Example: glucometer, endoscope

Common Categories: Suffixes

Conditions or diseases -edema (swelling), lymphedema -emia (blood condition), hypoxemia -algia (pain), cephalgia -genesis (origin), gluconeogenesis -iasis (abnormal condition),

cholelithiasis

Common Categories: Suffixes

Conditions or diseases (continued): -it is (inflammation), pancreatitis -megaly (enlargement), hepatomegaly -oma (tumor, mass), hemangioma -osis (abnormal condition),

hemochromatosis -pathy (abnormal condition), neuropathy

Common Categories: Suffixes

Conditions or diseases (continued): -penia (deficiency), osteopenia -plasia (growth), dysplasia -plegia (paralysis), hemiplegia -paresis (weakness), hemiparesis -rrhage (bursting), hemorrhage -stenosis (narrowing), arteriostenosis

Categories of suffixes:

Adjective forms: -ac, -al, -ic, -ous, -ior, -tic Examples: Celiac, mucous, superior,

optic

Categories: Suffixes

Noun forms: -ia, ism, -ist, -y Examples: osteopenia, dimorphism,

phlebotomist, radiology

Categories: Suffixes

Diminutive forms (smaller than usual) -icle, -ole,-ule Examples: arteriole, venule, tubule

Prefixes

Word element located before the root word in a medical term

The prefix changes or modifies the meaning of the word, e.g. hypotension.(hypo / tension means low blood pressure)

Multiple prefixes may be used in a given word, e.g. panhypopituitarism

Common categories: Prefixes

Related to time: Pre- = before (prenatal) Peri = around the same time as

(periarrest) Post- = after (postmortem,

postoperative)

Common categories: Prefixes

Related to position Epi- = above, (epidermis, epicardium) Sub- = below (subcutaneous) Supra- = above (supraorbital) Infra- = below (infraclavicular) Intra- = inside (intraabdominal) Inter- = between (interdigital)

Prefixes: position, continued

Post- or retro- = behind, backward or after (retroverted)

Pre- or pro- = before or in front (prodrome or promyelocyte)

Hypo- = below or deficient (hypokinetic)

Common categories: Prefixes

Relating to number or measurement Hemi- = half (hemithorax, hemiplegia) Uni- or mono- = one (unicellular) Bi- or diplo- = two (biphasic, diplopia) Tri- = three (trigeminal nerve) Quadri- = four (quadriplegia) Multi- or poly- = many (multisystem)

Prefixes: common categories

Number and measurement (continued) Hyper- = above normal (hyperactive) Micro- = smaller than normal

(microcephalic) Macro- = larger than normal (macrocytic

anemia)

Prefix Categories: Direction

Ab- away from (abduction) Ad- toward (adduction) Circum- around (circumcision) Trans- through (transesophageal) Exo- or extra- = outside (extracorporeal

circulation or exoskeleton) Endo- inside (endodontist)

Prefix categories: Direction

Para- near (parathyroid gland) Peri- near (pericardial) Super- or ultra- excessive or above

(ultrasound, superficial)

Other popular prefixes:

Brady –slow (bradycardia) Tachy- fast (tachypnea) Dys- painful, difficult, abnormal

(dysfunction, dyspnea, dysrrhythmia) A- or an- = not or without (asystole) Anti- or contra- = against or opposite

(contraindication)

Other Prefixes:

Mal- = bad, abnormal (maladaptive) Pan- = all (pandemic) Pseudo- = false (pseudoseizure) Syn- = joined (syndesmosis) Eu- normal (euthyroid, euthermic)

Practice words:

Malabsorption

Pancarditis

Subnormal

Subtheraputic

Suprascapular

Hemorrhagic

Arthroscope

Pediatric gastroenterologist

Translate into English:

He has a subconjunctival hemorrhage.

Her serum digoxin level is subtheraputic despite high oral doses of the medicine.

His utererostomy is dysfunctional.

More practice words:

Periarticular

Supraauricular

Intracranial

Hypertension

Hyperuricemia

Antiverted

Pericardiocentesis

Tachycardia

What the hell does that mean?

We should see the dyspneic patient first.

Narcotic medications make him dysphoric instead of euphoric.

He’s dysequilibrium is due to alcohol intoxication.

Hypotensive patients often feel dizzy.

Which words have prefixes?

Gastritis

Appendectomy

Prenatal

Pedal

Oncologist

Hemithorax

Paraplegia

Retrocardiac

What are the root words?

Perimortem

Hypokalemia

Panarthritis

Intraarticular

Diplococcus

Which words describe position? Supraorbital

Submental

Retrosternal

Intrathoracic

Triphasic

Polymorphic

Arteriole

Coronary

Which are conditions?

Hemochromatosis Dimorphism Celiac Intestine Enterotomy Polycythemia Angioedema Colonoscope Intracerebral

Medical Terminology:

Body Structure

Chapter 4

General Medical Terms:

Diagnosis: disease or condition found or suspected after evaluation

Differential Diagnoses: list of possible diseases that fit the clinical information

Prognosis: the likely future course of the condition, patient outcome

Etiology: cause

Examples:

My differential diagnoses include meningitis, stroke, and tricyclic antidepressant toxicity.

He has fever of unknown etiology. His admission diagnosis is septic shock,

but the etiology is uncertain. If he controls his hypercholesterolemia,

his prognosis is good.

General Medical Terms:

Symptom: a perception of the body noticed by the patient.

It may not be perceived by anyone else. Called subjective. Examples are pain, chest pressure,

dizziness, abdominal cramping

General Medical Terms:

Sign: a finding or manifestation of an illness that can be perceived by someone other than the patient.

Considered objective. Examples: labored respirations, pale

skin, hypotension, diaphoresis (clammy sweat), swollen ankles, lacerations, alopecia

Other general terms:

Idiopathic: without a clear cause Iatrogenic: caused by medical

treatment or procedures

Levels of Organization:

From smallest unit to largest: Cell Tissue Organ System Organism

The Cellular Level:

Cytology-the study of cells Cells are the basic structural and

functional unit of living things Parts of a cell:

Cell membrane Cytoplasm Nucleus

Tissues:

Groups of cells that perform a specialized function/activity

Histology = microscopic study of cells and tissues

Major types of tissues:

Epithelial: cells that cover and line surfaces and cavities of the body

Connective: supporting tissue between organs and tissues

Muscle: contractile tissues that bring about movement

Nervous: transmit electrical impulses

Organs:

Body structures with two or more tissue types.

Organs have one or more specific functions.

System:

A group of organs and accessory structures that perform a specific function or interrelated functions.

Examples: gastrointestinal system, central nervous system, cardiovascular system.

Organism:

Complete living entity capable of independent existence.

May be unicellular (e.g. bacteria) or multicellular.

Terms of Anatomical Position

Superior/ inferior Anterior/ posterior Medial/ lateral Sagittal (median) Coronal (frontal) Transverse (horizontal)

Body Cavities:

Cranial (contains the brain) Spinal (contains the spinal cord) Thoracic (lungs, heart, esophagus, and some

major blood vessels) Abdominal (contains most of the GI tract,

separated from thoracic cavity by the diaphragm)

Pelvic (contains reproductive and GU organs)

Abdominal Cavity: Quadrants

Right Upper: liver, gallbladder, pancreatic head, large and small bowels

Left Upper: stomach, spleen, pancreatic tail, large and small bowels

Right lower: appendix, large and small bowels, ovary, fallopian tube, ureter

Left lower: large and small bowels, ovary, ureter, fallopian tube

Abdominal cavity: other terms

Epigastric Umbilical/ periumbilical Hypochondriac (right and left) Suprapubic (hypogastric) Lumbar (right and left) Inguinal (iliac, right and left)

Spinal regions:

Cervical Thoracic Lumbar Sacral Coccyx