Medical Terminology Exam #1

-al

pertaining to

-ary

pertaining to

-eal

pertaining to

-ior

pertaining to

-tic

pertaining to

-ago

abnormal condition or disease

-iasis

abnormal condition or disease

-pathy

abnormal condition or disease

-algia

pain and suffering

-itis

inflammation

-megaly

enlargement (mega=large)

-sclerosis

abnormal hardening

-centesis

surgical puncture to remove fluid for diagnostic purposes

-rrhage/-rrhagia

bleeding (sudden, severe)

-rrhaphy

surgical suturing to close a wound and includes use of sutures, staples, glue (ex. Neurorrhaphy

Ilium

part of hip bone

Ileum

portion of small intestine

Hypochondriac (as in regions of abdomen/thorax)

below cartilage [costal(ribs)]

Ankylosis

loss or absence of mobility

Adhesive capsulitis

frozen shoulder; ankylosis caused by adhesions

Arthrosclerosis

stiffness of joints (arthro

Baker’s cyst

popliteal cyst

Bursitis

inflammation of the bursa

Chondromalacia

abnormal softening of the cartilage (chondro

Costochondritis

inflammation of cartilage connecting ribs to sternum (costo

Hallux valgus

bunion/abnormal enlargement of the base joint of the great toe (hallux

Hemarthrosis

blood within a joint (heme

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)

inflammatory disorder of muscles and joints

Synovitis

inflammation of the synovial membrane

Avascular necrosis

osteonecrosis

Osteomyelitis

inflammation of the bone marrow and adjacent bone (not to be confused with spinal cord (mye-) but mye as in myeloma)

Radiculopathy

pinched nerve; compression of a nerve in the spine (think of pain radiating out from spine)

-tomy

to cut something

-ectomy

cut something out

-ostomy

making an opening

-plasty

change the shape

-pexy

moved the organ to the correct place

-dynia

pain

Abdominocentesis

surgical puncture of the abdominal cavity to remove fluid

Angiography

process of prod. An x-ray of blood vessels after injection of a contrast medium (think angiotensin and how it relates to blood vessels)

Arthralgia

joint pain

Colostomy

surgical creation of an artificial excretory opening between colon and body surface (think colostomy bag for feces)

Endarterial

innermost layer of artery (think endo)

Eponym

disease or process named after someone

Fissure

groove or crack-like sore of the skin; normal folds in the contours of brain

Fistula

abnormal passage, usually between two internal organs or leading from an organ to the surface of the body

Gastroenteritis

inflammation of stomach and small intestine (gastro

Hepatomegaly

abnormal enlargement of the liver (hepa

Malaise

feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness, first indication of infection or other disease (mal

MYCOSIS

any abnormal condition or disease caused by fungus

Myelopathy

injury, disease in spinal cord

Neurorrhaphy

suturing together ends of a severed nerve

Palpation

examination in which examiner’s hands are used to feel texture, size, consistency, and location of certain body parts (think

Poliomyelitis

inflammation of the spinal cord due to polio (polio

Pyoderma

pus forming bacterial skin infection like impetigo

Pyrosis

discomfort due to the regurgitation of stomach acid upward into the esophagus

Suppuration

formation of pus

Tenorrhaphy

stitching together or suturing of a tendon

anter/o

before, front (think

-plasia

development, growth, formation

Adenocarcinoma

malignant tumor originating in glands and could spread to other parts of body

Adenoma

benign tumor

Anaplasia

change in structure of cells and in their orientation to each other

Aplasia

defective development, or congenital absence, of an organ or tissue

Atresia

congenital absence or narrowing of a normal body opening or passage

Congenital disease

abnormal condition that exists at the time of birth

Dysplasia

abnormal development or growth of cells, or presence of abnormal cells within a type of tissue

Etiology

study of the causes of diseases or abnormal conditions

Hemophilia

hereditary bleeding disorder in which a blood clotting factor is missing (“love” to bleed)

Hyperplasia

Increase in number of cells in tissue or organ

Hypertrophy

increase in size of organ due to size of cells

Hypoplasia

underdevelopment of an organ or tissue, deficiency in number of cells

Iatrogenic illness

unfavorable response due to prescribed medical treatment

Idiopathic disease

disease without a known cause

Nosocomial disease

disease acquired in a hospital or clinical setting

Vector borne transmission

spread of certain disease through blood-sucking vectors

ankyl/o

crooked, bent, stiff

-desis

to bind, tie together

kyph/o

bent, hump

Lord

curve, swayback, bent

Spondyl

vertebrae, vertebral column, backbone

Allogenic

originating within another

Autologous

originating within an individual

Callus

bulging deposit that forms around the area of the break in a bone; also a thickening of skin that is caused by repeated rubbing

Crepitation

grating sound heard when the ends of a broken bone move together

Fat embolus

release of fat cells from yellow bone marrow into bloodstream when long bone is fractured

Laminectomy

surgical removal of the lamina, or posterior portion of a vertebra

Lumbago

general term for pain in the lumbar region of the spine

Manubrium

bony structure that forms the upper portion of the sternum

Osteochondroma

benign bony projection covered with cartilage

Percutaneous vertebroplasty

treatment of osteoporosis-related compression fractures by injecting bone cement to stabilize compression fractures within the spinal column

Spina bifida

congenital defect that occurs during early pregnancy in which spinal canal fails to close completely around spinal cord to protect it

The abnormal hardening of the walls of an artery or arteries is called

atherosclerosis

A fever is considered to be a

sign

Any disease of the stomach is known as

gastrosis

The term meaning a feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness is

malaise

The study of disorders of the newborn is

neonatology

Lower-than-normal blood pressure is called

hypotension

A word formed from the initial letter of the major parts of a compound term is known as an

acronym

The term meaning above or outside the ribs is

supracostal