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Copyright © 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Copyright © 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Chapter 5

Medical Terminology

Copyright © 2014 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Medical terminology is a good area for the “learning moments” strategies described in Chapter 1. Make flashcards and have people around you ask questions whenever there is an opportunity. Use the word list in this chapter. Continue to use flashcards as you study other chapters.

Caution: Be careful of terms that sound similar but have different meanings, such as “melanin” and “melatonin.”

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Medical terminology is a significant portion of the national exams. Questions in other chapters may be answered by knowing the meaning of the term. Medical terminology is comparable to a foreign language. You may pick up pieces and phrases just by being around those who speak it, but you could not expect to pass an exam in that language without some study.

If you are a medical assistant or medical administrative specialist who received on-the-job training, this may apply to you, especially if you have been working in a specialty practice (e.g., obstetrics, where the terminology is basically limited to the female reproductive system). Certification exam questions may require you to select not only the meaning but also the correct spelling of a term.

Introduction


A medical term may have three parts:1. Prefix—beginning of the word; it modifies the root (not all medical

terms have a prefix). Example of a term with no prefix: TONSILLECTOMY (removal of tonsils)root: tonsil/o tonsilssuffix: -ectomy removal of

2. Root—meaning or central part of the word; it often refers to a body part (nearly all medical terms have a root).

3. Suffix—ending of the word; it modifies the root and usually refers to a condition, procedure, or action (not all medical terms have a suffix). Example of a term with no suffix: TONSIL (lymphatic tissue in the pharynx)root: tonsil

Example of a term with a prefix, root, and suffix:HYPERTHERMIC (abnormally high temperature)prefix: hyper- high, above, superroot: therm/o related to temperaturesuffix: -ic condition/state related to the root

Word Parts


Example of a term with a prefix, root, and suffix: HYPERTHERMIC (abnormally high temperature)prefix: hyper- high, above, superroot: therm/o related to temperaturesuffix: -ic condition/state related to the root

“Eat your elephant one bite at a time,” which means that you should take it one step at a time.

Word Parts, cont’d.








Body Planes

■ Median or midline plane—a lengthwise plane through the midline running front to back dividing the body into equal right and left halves

■ Sagittal plane—a lengthwise plane parallel to the midline running front to back dividing the body or any part of it into unequal right and left sides or parts

■ Coronal or frontal plane—a lengthwise plane running side to side dividing the body into front and back parts

■ Transverse or horizontal plane—a crosswise plane dividing the body into upper and lower parts

Medical Terminology Review Aids


Directional Terms

■ Superior—toward the head end or toward the upper part of the body

■ Inferior—farther away from the head or toward the lower part of the body

■ Anterior or ventral—on the front or abdominal side of the body

■ Posterior or dorsal—on the back side of the body■ Proximal—nearer a point of reference, usually the trunk

or middle of the body■ Distal—farther away from a point of reference■ Medial—closer to the midline of the body■ Lateral—toward the side of the body or away from the

midline■ Internal or deep—on the inside of the body■ External or superficial—on or close to the outside of the

body

Medical Terminology Review Aids, cont’d.


Locating Terms

■ Cephalic or cranial—referring to the head or head end■ Caudal—referring to the tail or tail end■ Palmar—referring to the front (while standing in

anatomical position) or palm of the hand■ Plantar—referring to the sole or bottom of the foot



Diagnostic, Symptomatic, and Related Suffixes

■ -algia—pain■ -cele—hernia, swelling■ -genesis (-gen)—forming, producing■ -gram—record, a writing■ -graph—instrument for recording■ -iasis—abnormal condition■ -itis—inflammation■ -malacia—softening■ -oid—resembling■ -oma—tumor■ -osis—abnormal condition or increase (used primarily

with blood cells)



■ -pathy—disease■ -penia—decrease, deficiency■ -phagia—eating, swallowing■ -plegia—paralysis■ -rrhage—bursting forth■ -rrhea—discharge, flow■ -rrhexis—rupture■ -stasis—standing still■ -stenosis—narrowing, stricture



Surgical Procedures

■ -centesis—to puncture in order to aspirate■ -desis—binding or fixation■ -ectomy—excision, surgical removal of■ -lithotomy—incision for removal of stones■ -otomy—incision into■ -pexy—suspension or fixation■ -plasty—repair or surgical reconstruction of■ -scopy—inspection/examination through a lighted

scope■ -stomy—creation of a new opening for drainage


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