Common Surgical Suffixes
Condition
-esis, -ia, -ism
-plegia (suffix)
Paralysis (ex. Hemi/plegia)
Infer/ior (inf)
Pertaining to below or lower
Dist/al
Pertaining to the farthest (point of attachment )
-y
condition, process
-tripsy (suffix)
crushing (ex. Lith/o/tripsy)
-ectasis (suffix)
dilation, expansion (ex. Bronchi/ectasis)
-rrhea (suffix)
discharge, flow (ex. Día/rrhea)
-pathy (suffix)
disease (ex. My/o/pathy)
-stomy (suffix)
forming an opening (mouth) (ex. Trache/o/stomy)
-cele (suffix)
hernia, swelling (ex. Hepat/o/cele )
-tomy (suffix)
incision (ex. Trache/o/tomy)
-itis (suffix)
inflammation (ex. Gasrt/itis )
-scope (suffix)
instrument for examining (ex. Endo/scope )
-meter (suffix)
instrument for measuring ( pelv/i/meter)
-toxic (suffix)
poison (ex. Hepat/o/toxic)
-gram (suffix)
record, writing (ex. Electr/o/cardi/o/gram )
-rrhexis (suffix)
rupture (ex. Arteri/ o/ rrhexis)
-lysis (suffix)
separation; destruction; loosening (ex. Thromb/o/lysis)
-lith (suffix)
stone,calculus (ex. Chol/e/lith)
-centesis (suffix)
surgical puncture (ex. arthr/o/centesis )
-plasty (suffix)
surgical repair (ex. Rhin/o/plasty )
-rrhaphy (suffix)
suture (ex. My/o/rrhaphy)
-edema (suffix)
swelling (ex. Lymph/edema)
midline of the body
the imaginary "line" created when the body is divided into equal right and left halves
abduction and adduction
Adduction is the movement of a body part toward the body's midline. So, if a person has their arms straight out at the shoulders and brings them down to their sides, it is adduction.Adduction of the arm, moving the arm toward the body at the shoulder when that arm is at the person's side.
-rrhage or -rrhagia (suffix)
Bursting forth (of) (ex. Hem/o/rrhage ) (ex. Men/o/rrhagia)
Surgical Suffixes
Describe a type of invasive procedure on a body part.
Pathological Suffixes
Describe(denotes) an abnormal condition or disease.
flexion and extension
Lifting a weight with one arm is an example (flexion is when you flex the muscle (ex. Holding the weight closer to you ) . Extension is holding the weight away from your body and no longer flexing your bicep)
-algia, -dynia (suffix)
Pain (ex. Neur/algia )
-iasis (suffix)
abnormal condition (ex. Chol/e/lith/iasis)
-osis (suffix)
abnormal condition;increase (used primarily with blood cells ) (ex. Cyan/osis)
Pertaining to
ac, al, ar, ary, eal, ic,ical,ile,ior, ous, tic
-metry (suffix)
act of measuring (ex. pelv/I/metry)
-desis (suffix)
binding, fixation (of a bone or joint) (ex. arthr/o/desis )
-emia (suffix)
blood condition (ex. An/emia)
-penia (suffix)
decrease, deficiency (ex. Erythr/o/penia )
Diagnostic Suffixes
denote a procedure or test performed to identify the cause and nature of an illness
-megaly (suffix)
enlargement (ex. Cardi/o/megaly )
-ectomy (suffix)
excision, removal (ex. append/ectomy)
-phobia (suffix)
fear (ex. Hem/o/phobia)
-pexy (suffix)
fixation (of an organ) (ex. Mast/o/pexy )
-graph (suffix)
instrument for recording (ex. Cardi/o/graph)
-tome (suffix)
instrument to cut (ex. Oste/o/tome)
-iatry
medicine; treatment
-stenosis (suffix)
narrowing, stricture (ex. Ateri/o/stenosis)
-trophy (suffix)
nourishment, development (ex. Dys/trophy)
super/ior
pertaining to above or upper (near the head)
proxim/al
pertaining to nearness(point of attachment )
poster/ior
pertaining to the back of the body, organ or structure
anter/ior
pertaining to the front (of the body , organ or structure)
later/al
pertaining to the side
-graphy (suffix)
process of recording (ex. Angi/o/graphy )
-icle, -ole, -ule
small, minute
-malacia (suffix)
softening (ex. Chondr/o/malacia )
-ician -ist
specialist
-phasia (suffix) •_•
speech
-clasis (suffix)
to break; surgical fracture (ex. Oste/o/clasis )
-oma (suffix)
tumor (ex. Neur/oma)
-scopy (suffix)
visual examination ( ex. Endo/scopy)
-emesis (suffix)
vomiting (ex. Hyper/emesis)