Medical Terminology and Anatomical Positions

Compendium of medical vocabulary including anatomical positions, diagnostic imaging techniques, skin conditions, body regions, planes of the body, and foundational medical suffixes, prefixes, and combining forms.

Fowler

Semi-sitting position head + trunk raised

Lateral recumbent

lying down on side

Lithotomy

lying flat on back for gignocology

Orthopnea

Sitting up + leaning forward

Prone

lying flat or tummy

Recumbent

lying down in any position

Semiprone

on side with knee bent forward

Supine

lying flat on back

Trendelenburg

lying down head lower than feet

Computed tomography (CT)

X-ray detailed, 3D cross section

Fluoroscopy

shows continueus X-Ray on moniter

Nuclear medicine (NM)

small amounts of rod active material to decrose

Magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI)

A diagnostic imaging technique used to visualize internal structures of the body.

Coccus

Spherical bacterium

-ectomy

suffix meaning surgical removed of body part.

-ia

indicate a condition

-itis

indicate inflammation of organ or tissue

-malacia

indicate abnormal softening of tissue or bone

-phagia

denoting the act of eating, consuming

-plasty

surgical repair, restoration, Plastic Surgens

-rrhea

flow or discharge of fluids

Dermatitis

inflammation of skin

Dermatofibroma

small, firm Bump, non cancerous

Hidradenitis

inflammation of sweet glands

Keratosis

any skin condition, overgrowth of horny skin layer

Onychocryptosis

ingrown toenail

Onychomalacia

abnormal softening of fingernails

Onychomycosis

fungual infection of nail plate

Onychophagia

someone chewing nails

Pachyderma

abnormal thickening of the skin

Distal

farthest away

Dorsal

Back of the body

Inferior

below or toward the feet

Lateral

away from the Midline

Medial

towards the midline

Midline

The middle of the body

Mediolateral

extending from the middle to side of body

Posteroanterier (PA)

from the back to front

Proximal

closer to the point of attachment to body

Superior (Sup)

above or toward head

Unilateral

occuring on only one side of body

Ventral

front or anterior surface of body

Radiograph

image produced on film by radiation.

Radiography

process of taking radiography

Radiologist

Someone taking x-rays

Radiology

Branch of medicine using X-rays, MRI'S, CT

Sonogram

image produced during ultrasound

Sonography

practice of using soundwaves to create images

Tomography

imaging technique displays slice of body

Epigastric region

upper mid region of abdomen

Hypochondriac regions

2 upper over regions either side

Hypogastric region

lower middle region below belly button

Iliac region

regions near grainship L+R

Lumbar regions

2 regions either side of waist

Umbilical region

central region of abdomen

Axial transverse plane

divides head / feet

Coronal frontal plane

divides front & Back

Midsagittal

runs down center of body

Parasagittal

Parallel to midline but off center

Sagittal

front to back into L+R Sides Divides

anter/o

front anterior

caud/o

tail, lower part

cephall/o

head

dist/o

farthest away

dors/o

Back of body

infer/o

below, lower

later/o

Side

medi/o

Middle / midline

proxim/o

near, closet trunk

radi/o

x-rays

son/o

sound

super/o

above, upper, near head

tom/o

cut or slice

ventr/o

Belly

cutane/o

skin

derm/o

skin

dermato-

skin

hidr/o

sweat

kerat/o

horny tissue, Hard

myc/o

fungus

onych/o

nail

pachy/o

thick

rhytid/o

wrinkle

scler/o

hardening

seb/o

sebum, oil

staphyl/o

cluster, bunch

strept/o

twisted chains

bi-

2, double, life

uni-

1, Single

ad-

toward, near

-gram

record

-graph

instrument used to record

-graphy

process of recording

-ior

Pertaining to

Anterior

front of body

Anteroposterior (AP)

front and back of body

Bilateral

2 sides L+R

Caudad

towards the feet tail area

Caudal

Pertaining to tail or lower part

Cephalad

towards head