Medical Terminology Notes: Surgical Suffixes, Hematology, Diagnostic Imaging (Unit 2)

Surgical Terminology

  • Surgery as an important medical treatment tool

    • Procedures include: incision, excision, repair, replacement

  • Additional surgical procedures listed

    • Destruction, ablation, cauterization, introduction, dilation

Surgical Suffixes

  • Origin: Greek; tomos = cut

  • Suffixes and meanings

    • -tome = instrument used to cut slices

    • -tomy = cut into, incise, or incision

    • -ectomy = cut out, remove, excise, or excision

    • -ostomy = cut a new surgical opening

Building Words with Surgical Suffixes

  • Example constructions

    • derma/tome = instrument to cut slices of skin

    • gastr/o/tomy = incision into stomach

    • duoden/ectomy = removal of duodenum

    • col/ostomy = creating opening in colon

  • One word root with various procedures

    • gastr/ectomy = removal of all or part of stomach

    • gastr/o/tomy = incision into stomach

    • gastr/ostomy = surgical opening in stomach

    • col/ectomy = removal of all or part of colon

    • col/o/tomy = incision into colon

    • col/ostomy = surgical opening in colon

  • Two word roots with various procedures

    • gastr/o/duoden/ectomy = removal of all or part of stomach and duodenum

    • gastr/o/duoden/o/tomy = incision into stomach and duodenum

    • gastr/o/duoden/ostomy = surgical openings in stomach and duodenum

  • Morphology diagram (structure)

    • Gastr + o + Duoden + Ostomy

    • word root + vowel + word root + suffix

    • Demonstrates how two roots share a suffix to form a medical term

Diagnostic Imaging

  • Definition

    • Method of creating visual representations of body structures or functions

  • Imaging suffixes

    • -gram = picture or record

    • -graph = instrument to record image of data

    • -graphy = process of recording image of data

  • Building words with Imaging Suffixes

    • electr/o/cardi/o/gram = record of electrical impulses given off by heart

    • electr/o/cardi/o/graph = instrument for recording electrical impulses given off by heart

    • electr/o/cardi/o/graphy = process of recording electrical impulses given off by heart

  • Tomography

    • tom/o = combining form for cut

    • -graphy = process of recording image of data

    • tom/o/graphy = radiographic procedure using x-rays to produce images of slices or planes of the body

  • Tomography Procedures

    • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

    • Computed tomography (CT) scan (also CAT scan)

    • Positron emission tomography (PET) scan

    • Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)

  • Imaging Combining Forms

    • son/o = sound

    • Examples:

    • son/o/gram = picture made with ultrasound waves

    • son/o/graphy = process of making images with ultrasound waves

    • son/o/grapher = person who performs ultrasonography

    • ech/o = sound made by reflected sound waves

    • Examples:

    • ech/o/cardi/o/gram = record of sound waves reflected through heart

    • ech/o/cardi/o/graphy = process of making echocardiogram

    • ech/o/cardi/o/grapher = person who takes image

    • radi/o = radiation or x-rays

    • Examples:

    • radi/o/graph = picture made using x-rays

    • radi/o/gram = picture made using x-rays

    • radi/o/grapher = person who takes x-rays

    • radi/o/logist = physician who interprets x-rays

  • Word Parts for Colors

    • leuk/o = white

    • melan/o = black (dark)

    • erythr/o = red

    • cyan/o = blue

    • chlor/o = green

    • xanth/o = yellow

    • jaundice = reflection of bright yellow in blood (excess bilirubin)

  • Building Words With Color

    • leuk/o/derma = unusually white skin (vitiligo)

    • melan/o/derma = abnormally dark pigmented skin

    • erythr/o/derma = reddened, inflamed skin condition

    • cyan/o/derma = blue skin

    • xanth/o/derma = yellow skin

Hematology

  • Hemat/o = blood

  • Common terms

    • hemat/o/logy = study of blood

    • hemat/o/logist = one who studies blood

    • hemat/o/pathy = disease of blood

  • Blood Conditions: -emia and related roots

    • -emia = blood condition

    • Examples:

    • an/emia = lack of blood

    • xanth/emia = excess carotene in blood (yellow)

    • erythr/emia = abnormally red blood

    • chlor/emia = increased chlorine in blood (green)

Cells

  • cyt/o = cell (word root)

  • -cyte = suffix for cell

  • Common terms

    • cyt/o/logy = study of cells

    • cyt/o/logist = one who studies cells

    • cyt/o/meter = instrument to count cells

    • cyt/o/metry = process of counting cells

    • cyt/o/techn/o/logist = technician who prepares slides

  • White Blood Cells (WBCs)

    • leuk/o/cyte = WBC

    • Examples:

    • leuk/o/cyt/o/penia = decrease in or lack of WBCs

    • leuk/emia = condition of WBCs (blood cancer)

    • leuk/o/cyt/osis = increase in WBCs

  • Red Blood Cells (RBCs)

    • erythr/o/cyte = RBC

    • Examples:

    • erythr/o/cyt/o/penia = decrease in or lack of RBCs

    • erythr/o/blast = immature RBC

    • erythr/o/cyt/osis = high numbers of erythrocytes

    • erythr/emia = abnormally red blood due to too many erythrocytes

  • Blood-Clotting Cells

    • thromb/o/cyte = platelet

    • Examples:

    • thromb/o/cyt/osis = increase in number of thrombocytes

    • thromb/o/cyt/o/penia = abnormal decrease in number of thrombocytes

Lymphatic System

  • Definition and function

    • Series of lymph vessels, nodes, and organs

    • Purpose: circulate tissue fluids, absorb fats from intestine, fight infections

  • Lymphatic combining form

    • lymph/o

  • Examples

    • lymph/o/cyte = type of WBC produced by lymphatic system

    • lymph/edema = fluid accumulation and swelling due to blockages in lymph vessels

    • acute lymph/o/cy/tic leukemia = disease involving lymphocytes

Tissues

  • Tissues as a fundamental structural unit

  • Word parts

    • hist/o = tissue

  • Common terms:

    • hist/o/blast = immature tissue

    • hist/o/logy = study of tissues

    • hist/o/logist = one who studies tissues

    • hist/o/cyte = tissue cell

Small Intestine

  • Duodenum

    • duodenum = first part of small intestine beyond stomach

    • duoden/o = combining form

  • Examples

    • duoden/al = pertaining to duodenum

    • duoden/itis = inflammation of duodenum

    • duoden/ostomy = surgical opening in duodenum

Heart

  • Combining forms

    • cardi/o and card/o

  • Examples

    • cardi/o/logist = physician specialist in diagnosing and treating heart conditions

    • card/itis = inflammation of heart

    • electr/o/cardi/o/gram = record of electrical activity of heart

Enlarged

  • Combining form and suffix for enlargement

    • megal/o = enlarged (combining form)

    • -megaly = enlarged (suffix)

  • Examples

    • cardi/o/megaly = enlarged heart (sometimes due to reduced oxygen supply)

    • megal/o/cardia = enlargement or overdevelopment of heart

    • megal/o/gastria = enlarged stomach

    • gastr/o/megaly = enlarged stomach

    • megal/o/mania = mental disorder with delusions of grandeur (note: -mania = madness)

Disease

  • Suffix and prefix for disease

    • -pathy = disease

    • path/o = disease (combining form)

  • Examples

    • path/o/logy = study of disease

    • path/o/logist = one who studies disease

    • eti/o/logy = study of origin of disease

Pain

  • Suffix for pain

    • -algia

  • Examples

    • cardi/algia = heart pain

    • gastr/algia = stomach pain

Synonyms in Medical Terminology

  • Some terms can be used with combining forms or suffixes to express the same meaning

    • megal/o and -megaly both indicate enlargement

  • Examples

    • megal/o/gastria = enlarged stomach

    • gastr/o/megaly = enlarged stomach

Forming Medical Terms (General Rules)

  • Word root + suffix

    • Examples: dermat/itis, cyan/osis, duoden/al

  • Any number of word roots + suffix

    • Examples: gastr/o/duoden/ostomy, gastr/o/duoden/ectomy

  • Combining form + suffix

    • Examples: acr/o/cyan/osis, leuk/o/cyte

  • Any number of combining forms + word root + suffix

    • Examples: leuk/o/cyt/o/penia, electr/o/cardi/o/graphy

Review (Tips for Mastery)

  • Recognize common combining forms and suffixes by category (anatomy, imaging, hematology, color terms, disease/process terms)

  • Practice building terms from known roots and suffixes to strengthen recall for exams

  • Use a two-root pattern for multi-organ terms (e.g., gastr/o/duoden/ostomy) to reinforce how roots combine with suffixes