Medical terminology

interpreting word parts

-med dictionaries have been written to include the words used in health care

-impossible to memorize all med words

-a word is often used in health care careers

eponyms- terms used in medicine that are named after people places or thing

common uses for eponyms in medicine include naming:

anatomical parts

diagnostic tests

diseases

fractures

instruments or med devices

med treatments

microorganisms

surgeries

joint commisio’s DO NOT USE list of abbreviations:

-IU

-U or u

-qd, qod

-lack of leading zero

-trailing zero

-MS

-apothecary unit symbols

HYPER- excessive

HYPO- below normal

BRADY- slow

TACHY- fast

A/AN- without

ANTI- against

AUTO- self

BI- two

UNI- one

POLY- many

GASTR- stomach

ITIS- inflammation

CUTANE- skin

OUS- pertaining to

PRE- befpre

POST- after

INTRA- within

INTER- between

SUB- under/below

SUPRA- above

PERI- around

ENDO- inside/within

EPI- upon/on top of

TRANS- across/through

OLOGY- the study of

ECTOMY- surgical removal

ALGIA- pain

MEGALY- enlargement

PATHY- disease

EMIA- blood condition

OSIS- abnormal condition

OMA- tumor/ mass

PENIA- deficiancy/ decrease

HETERO- good

IPSI- same side

META- change

RETRO- backwards

LYSIS- break down

MYELO- spinal chord

ENTERO- inestins

ENCEPHALO- brain

CHANDRO- cartilage

MALASIA- soft bones

IST- specialist

IATRY- medical treatment

IATRIST- medical specialist

GENIC- produced by

OID- resembling

RRHEA- flow/discharge from your butt

RRHAGE- excessive bleeding

RRHAGIA- excessive flow/bleeding

SPASM- involuntery contractions

STENOSIS- narrowing

COMBINING VOWELS: usually an o or sometimes i used between two word roots or between a word rood and a suffic to ease pronunciation

COMBINING FORM: woord root + combining vowel

KEEP THE VOWEL WHEN YOU JOIN TWO WORD-ROOTS WHEN ADDING A SUFFIX THAT BEGINS WITH A CONSONANT

DROP IT IF THE SUFFEX BEGINS WITH A VOWEL

SUFFIXES ( SURGICAL, DIAGNOSTIC, AND PATHOLOGICAL )

practice reading med terms from right to left starting with the suffix then moving to the world root and prefix

COMMON SUFFIX CATEGORIES:

surgical: -ectomy( excision or removal ), -otomy( cutting into ), -stomy( creating an opening )

diagnostic: -gram( record ), -graphy( process of recording ), -scopy( visual examination )

pathological: -itis( inflammation ), -osis( abnormal condition ), -pathy( disease), -algia( pain )

SUFFIXES: SURGICAL

ectomy- surgical removal

otomy- cutting into/incision

stomy- creating an artifical opening

plasty- surgical repair/reconstruction

centesis- surgical puncture to remove fluid

SUFFIXES: DIAGNOSTIC

gram- record or picture

graphy- process of recording

scopy- visual examination with a scope

scope- instrument used to visually examine

meter- instrument used to measure

SUFFIXES: DISEASE

itis- inflammation

osis- abnormal condition or increase

pathy- disease

algia- pain

megaly- enlargement

PREFIXES: NUMBERS, DIRECTIONS, AND NEGATIONS

a prefix is attatched to the beginning of a word or word root to modify its meaning

prefixes do not require combining vowels when attaching dorectly to a word root

NUMBERS

bi- two

hyper- excessive

hypo- deficient

uni/mono- one, single

bi/di- two, double

hemi/semi- half, partial

DIRECTIONS

ab- away from

ad- toward, near

sub/infra- under, below

epi- upon, over, above

inter- between

NEGATIONS

a/an- without

anti- against, opposing

dys- bad, painful, difficult

eu- good, normal

tachy- fast, rapid