Medical Terminology for health professionals chapters 1 & 2

midterm test

-algia

pain and suffering

dys-

bad, difficult, or painful

-ectomy

surgical removal

hyper-

excessive or increased

hypo-

deficient or decreased

-itis

inflammation or infection

-osis

abnormal condition or disease

-ostomy

surgical creation of an artificial opening

-otomy

cutting or surgical incision

-plasty

surgical repair

-rrhage

bleeding, usually sudden, severe bleeding

-rrhaphy

suturing to close a wound

-rrhea

flow or discharge

-rrhexis

rupture

-sclerosis

abnormal hardening (opposite of -malacia)

abdominocentesis

surgical puncture of the abdominal cavity to remove fluid

acronym

word formed from the initial letter of the major parts of a compound term

acute

rapid onset, a severe course, and a relatively short duration

angiography

- process of producing a radiographic (x-ray) study of the blood vessels after the injection of a contrast medium to make these blood vessels visible

appendectomy

surgical removal of the appendix

arteriosclerosis

abnormal hardening of the walls of an artery or arteries (opposite of -malacia)

arthralgia

pain in a joint or joints

colostomy

surgical creation of an artificial excretory opening between the colon and the body surface

cyanosis

blue discoloration of the skin caused by a lack of adequate oxygen in the blood

dermatologist

physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating disorders of the skin

diagnosis

identification of a disease

diarrhea

frequent flow of loose or watery stools

edema

sign of inflammation or swelling

endarterial

pertaining to the interior or lining of an artery

eponym

disease, structure, operation, or procedure named for the person who discovered or prescribed it first

erythrocyte

mature red blood cell

fissure

a groove or crack-like sore of the skin (or normal folds in the contours of the brain)

fistula

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

gastralgia

pain in the stomach - stomach ache

gastritis

inflammation of the stomach

gastroenteritis

inflammation of the stomach and small intestine

gastrosis

any disease of the stomach

hemorrhage

loss of a large amount of blood in a short time

hepatomegaly

abnormal enlargement of the liver

hypertension

higher than normal blood pressure

hypotension

lower than normal blood pressure

infection

the invasion of the body by a pathogenic (disease producing) organism

inflammation

localized response to an injury or destruction of tissues

interstitial

between, but not within, the part of a tissue

intramuscular

within the muscle

laceration

torn or jagged wound or an accidental cut wound

lesion

pathologic change of the tissue due to disease or injury

mycosis

abnormal condition or disease caused by a fungus

myelopathy

pathologic change or disease of the bone marrow or spinal cord

myopathy

pathologic change or disease of muscle tissue

myorrhexis

rupture of a muscle

natal

pertaining to birth

neonatology

study of disorders of the newborn

neuritis

inflammation of a nerve or nerves

otorhinolaryngology

study of ears, nose, and throat

palpation

examination technique in which the examiner's hands are used to feel the texture, size, consistency, and location of certain body parts

palpitation

pounding or racing heart

pathology

study of all aspects of diseases

phalanges

bones of the fingers and toes (singular, phalanx)

poliomyelitis

viral infection of the gray matter of the spinal cord

prognosis

prediction of the probable course and outcome of a disorder

prostate

male gland that lies under the urinary bladder and surrounds the urethra

pyoderma

any acute, inflammatory, pus-forming bacterial skin infection such as impetigo

pyrosis

discomfort due to the regurgitation of stomach acid upward into the esophagus (heartburn)

remission

temporary, partial, or complete disappearance of the symptoms of a disease without having achieved a cure

sign

objective evidence of disease such as fever

supination (soo-pih-NAY-shun)

the act of rotating the arm so that the palm of the hand is forward or upward

suppuration (sup-you-RAY-shun)

formation or discharge of pus

supracostal

above or outside the ribs

symptom

subjective evidence of a disease, such as pain or a headache

syndrome

set of the signs and symptoms that occur together as part of a specific disease process

tonsillitis

inflammation of the tonsils

trauma

wound or injury

triage

medical screening of patient to determine their relative priority of needs and the proper place of treatment

viral

pertaining to a virus

word root

contains the basic meaning of the term and usually indicates the involved body part

combining form

word root with vowel at the end so that a suffix beginning with a consonant can be added

prefix

usually indicates location, time, number, or status

suffix

usually indicates the procedure, condition, disorder, or disease

cyan(o)-

blue

erythr(o)-

red

-cyte

cell

leukocyte

white blood cell

leuk(o)-

white

melanosis

any condition of unusual deposits of black pigment in body tissues or organs

melan(o)-

black

poli(o)-

gray

neur(o)-

nerve

gastr(o)-

stomach

enter(o)-

small intestine

myel(o)-

bone marrow or spinal cord

my(o)-

muscle

oste(o)-

bone

arthr(o)-

joint

crani(o)-

skull

-um

suffix changing the root word into a noun

cranium

portion of the skull that encloses the brain

cardi(o)-

heart

-ac

adjectival suffix meaning "pertaining to"

cardiac

pertaining to the heart