Word List 4

Respiratory System

adenoidectomy

removal of adenoids (tonsils)

aerophagia

eating (swallowing) air

alveolar

pertaining to the alveoli

anosmia

without or no smell (absence/decreased sense of smell)

anoxia

without or no oxygen

apnea

without or not breathing

asphyxia

extreme decrease in the amount of air in the body

asthma

chronic episodes or airway inflammation/narrowing

atelectasis

incomplete dilation/expansion (collapsed lung)

bradypnea

slow breathing

bronchiectasis

expansion/dilation of the bronchi

bronchiolitis

inflammation of the bronchioles

bronchitis

inflammation of the bronchi

bronchoscopy

visual examination of the bronchi

cyanosis

abnormal condition of blue (blue skin due to lack of oxygen)

dyspnea

difficulty breathing

epistaxis

nosebleed

eupnea

normal breathing

hemoptysis

coughing up blood

hemothorax

blood in the chest (blood in the pleural cavity)

hypercapnia

excessive carbon dioxide in the blood

hypoxemia

low oxygen in the blood

hypoxia

low oxygen in the tissues

laryngoplegia

paralysis of the larynx

laryngoscope

instrument for examining the larynx

orthopnea

breathing straight (difficulty breathing laying down)

pharyngospasm

involuntary contraction/twitching of the pharynx

phrenalgia

pain of the diaphragm

pleurisy

inflammation of the pleura

pneumomelanosis

blackening of lung tissue from inhaling coal dust

pneumonia

infection of the lung

pneumothorax

collapsed lung from air in the pleural cavity

polysomnography

process of recording sleep (sleep test)

rales

crackling noise heard with auscultation of the lung

rhonchi

coarse rattling breath sound

spirometry

act of measuring the breath (lung function test)

sputum

mucus coughed up from airways

stridor

wheeze like sound heard with auscultation (from obstruction)

tachypnea

fast, rapid breathing

thoracocentesis

surgical puncture of the chest (to remove fluid)

thoracopathy

disease of the chest

tonsillectomy

removal of the tonsils

tracheostomy

forming an opening in the trachea

tracheotomy

incision of the trachea

tuberculosis

infectious disease caused by bacteria

wheeze

course, whistling lung sound caused by narrowed airways