Medical Terminology: Orientation for PA School

Epi-

ABOVE, UPON

Abdomin/o

Abdomen

Lapar/o

Abdomen

Lapar/o or abdomen/o

Abdomen (area between chest and hips)

-Osis

Abnormal condition

Trans-

Across, through

Internist

Adult comprehensive care in an office or hospital setting

Post-

After, behind

Anti-

Against

Cell

All parts of the body are compose of these individual units i.e. muscle, nerve, skin, none cells

Cyt/o

Cell

-Cyte

Cell i.e. Erthyrocyte (Red Blood Cell- carry oxygen)

Hyperplasia

Cells increase in number

Hypertrophy

Cells increase in size, not in number, opposite of atrophy

CVA

Cerebrovascular Accident (stroke)- blood is prevented from reaching areas of the cerebrum. The location of the decreased blood flow may determine different outcomes- signs and symptoms may or may not include paralysis, aphasia ( loss of speech), weakness, and change in sensation

Cerebr/o

Cerebrum (largest part of the brain)

Divisions of the back

Cervical (7) neck region Thoracic (12) chest region Lumbar (5) waist region Sacral (5 fused) lower back region Coccygeal (4 fused) tailbone region

Meta-

Change, beyond

Thorac/o

Chest

Body Systems (11)

Circulatory (blood), lymphatic (lymph, infection), digestive (break down food for energy), endocrine (hormones), female and male reproductive systems (create embryo), musculoskeletal (movement), nervous (messages to brain and spine), skin and sense organs (send messages from environment to brain), and urinary systems (create urine, toxins out of body)

Thromb/o

Clotting

Spinal Column vs. Spinal Cord

Column: bone series around spinal cord (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, coccyx) Cord: bundle of nerves- base of brain down back of body

Dia-

Complete

Diagnosis

Complete knowledge gained after testing and examining the patient

DIA-

Complete, Through

Dia-

Complete, through

-IA

Condition

-ISM

Condition, process

-Ism

Condition, process

Combining Vowel

Connector between the root and suffix or roots to other roots drop the combining vowel before a suffix that starts with a vowel keep the combining vowel between word roots, even if the second root begins with a vowel

Poster/o

Back, behind

Re-

Back, behind

Retro-

Back, behind

Bacteremia

Bacterial invasion of the blood with or without symptoms

Mal-

Bad

DYS-

Bad, painful, difficult, abnormal

Dys-

Bad, painful, difficult, abnormal

Pre-

Before

Pro-

Before

Ante-

Before, forward

Pros- or Pro-

Before, forward

Root

Beginning of the word, read last, essential meaning of the term

Retro-

Behind

Hypo-

Below, less than normal, under

Sub-

Below, under

Adenoma

Benign noncancerous tumor

Myoma

Benign tumor. commonly occur in the uterus and are known as fibroids

Para-

Beside, near, along the side of

Inter-

Between

Ultra-

Beyond

Nat/i

Birth

-Emia

Blood condition

Septicemia

Blood infections result when pathogens enter the blood from a wound, more serious than bacteremia, quicker, life threatening, sepsis

Ischemia

Blood is held back from an area of the heart muscle by an occlusion of the coronary artery- muscle loses oxygen supply and nutrition, can die if persists

Oste/o

Bone

Troph/o

Development, nourishment

Diagnosis vs. prognosis

Diagnosis: examine and test patient- come to a conclusion- knowledge gained Prognosis: longterm outcome of diagnosis, prediction

Nos/o

Disease

Path/o

Disease

Peritoneum

Double membrane in the abdomen that covers organs- attaches the abdominal organs and connects them to muscles to hold them in place

Pleura

Double membrane that surrounds the lungs

Diuretics

Drugs that promote excretion of an abnormally large quantity of urine (polyuria). They are used in the treatment of hypertension to lower blood pressure by removing excess flood from the blood

Dur/o

Dura Mater (outermost meningeal membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord

Electrocephalogram

EEG- determines whether a patient has a seizure disorder, like epilepsy

-Phagia

Eating

Coroner

Elected official who investigates suspicious death- may or may not be a medical examiner

Electr/o

Electricity

Suffix

Ending of the word, read first

Endocrine Vs. Exocrine Glands

Endocrine: secrete hormones inside bloodstream i.e. thyroid gland exocrine: secrete hormones outside bloodstream through ducts or tubes i.e. sweat and tear ducts

Esophag/o

Esophagus

Cardiomyopathy vs myocardial infarction

CM: chronic disease of heart muscle with inflammation and weakness MI: Acute condition involving an area of the heart muscle that has died as a result of ischemia, heart attack infarction=area of dead tissue ischemia=condition in which tabloid supply is held back from a part of the body

Carcin/o

Cancer, cancerous

Carcinoma

Cancerous tumor that arise from skin tissue and the lining of internal organs

Sarcoma

Cancerous tumor that grows from fleshy connective tissue of body like muscle, fat, bone, and cartilage

Carcinoma vs Sarcoma

Carcinoma: cancerous tumor from lining or organ i.e. adenocarcinoma Sarcoma: cancerous tumor from bone, cartilage, muscle or fat (connective tissue) i.e. osteosarcoma

Carp/o

Carpals (wrist bones)

Chondr/o

Cartilage (connective tissue attached to bones)

Thrombosis

Formation of thrombus- blood clot- occurs when thrombocytes and other clotting factors combine

Plasia

Formation, condition

Plas/o

Formation, growth, development

Quadri-

Four

Pleural effusion vs. ascites

PE: collection of fluid in the pleural cavity A: collection of fluid in the peritoneal cavity

Primary malignant tumor vs. breast cancer metastasis

PMT: originates and grows in a particular tissue or organ Metastasis: Spreads to a new place- new blood supply

-Algia

Pain

Types of Paralysis

Paralysis- no movement, loss of muscle function hemiplegia- half of body paralyzed, loss of muscle function, stroke quadriplegia- no arms or legs (cervical function) paraplegia- no legs, lumbar

Medical Examiner (M.E.)

Pathologist who specializes in forensic (legal) medicine related to criminal issues

Pelv/o

Pelvis (bones of the hip)

-TOMY

Process of cutting into, incision

-Opsy

Process of viewing. I.E. a biopsy is living tissue that is removed and viewed under a microscope

-Scopy

Process of visual examination

Magnetic Resonance Imagining (MRI)

Produces images of the body using magnetic waves instead of x-rays to create images which show organs or other structures in specialized detail and in all 3 planes of the body

-Globin

Protein

Aut-

Self

Computed Tomography (CT)

Series of x-ray images showing organs in cross section (transverse)

Later/o

Side

Tissues

Similar cells grouped together i.e. group of muscle cells are muscle tissues

Derm/o

Skin

Dermat/o

Skin

Crani/o

Skull

Brady-

Slow

Prefix

Small part added to the beginning of a term

Body Cavities (5)

Space that contains organs Cranial (head and skull, contains brain) thoracic (chest cavity, breastbone and ribs i.e. lungs, heart, trachea) abdominal (below thoracic, diaphragm i.e. stomach, liver, gallbladder, intestines) pelvic (below abdominal cavity, hip, has bladder, ureters, urethra, rectum, anus, and uterus) spinal (space surrounded by the spinal column)

Peritoneal Dialysis

Special fluid is inserted into the peritoneal cavity through a tube in the abdomen. the wastes seep into the fluid from the blood during a period of time. Fluid and wastes are drained from the peritoneal cavity

-IST

Specialist

-Logist

Specialist in the study of

-Phasia

Speech

Spin/o

Spine, backbone

-SIS

State of

Gastr/o

Stomach

Orth/o

Straight

-Um

Structure

Glycol/o

Sugar

Exploratory Laparotomy

Surgeon makes a large incision in the abdominal wall to inspect organs for evidence of disease

-Centesis

Surgical procedure to remove fluid i.e. thoracentesis

Peri-

Surrounding

-Dipsia

Thirst

Tri-

Three

Cis/o

To Cut

Top/o

To put, place, postition

-Gram

To record

-Mission

To send

Diabetes types 1 and 2

Type 1: Hyperglycemia- lack insulin Type 2: insufficient insulin insulin secreted by endocrine gland, pancreas insulin allows sugar to leave bloodstream and enter cells when insulin absent or not working, sugar stays in bloodstream- hyperglycemia

Rhin/o

Nose

A-, An-

Not, no, without

Uremia

Occurs when kidneys fail to function and urea (waste material) accumulates in the blood

-ITIS

Inflammation

-Scope

Instrument to visually examine

Enter/o

Intestines (often small)

Diaphragm

Muscle that separates the abdominal and thoracic cavities

A-, AN-

No, not

-uria

condition of urine i.e. hematuria

-rrhage or -rrhagia

excessive discharge of blood i.e. hemorrhage

Hyper-

excessive, more than normal, too much

-rrhea

flow, discharge ie rhinorrhea, menorrhea

-sclerosis

hardening ie atherosclerosis: most common type of arteriosclerosis (fatty plaque collects on the lining of arteries)

Ec-

out, outside

-GRAPHY

process of recording i.e. mammography

Hemodialysis

removal of blood for passage through a kidney machine to filter out waste material, such as urea

-Lysis

separation, breakdown, destruction i.e. dialysis

Epitheli/o

skin, surface tissue

-sis

state of

-Plasty

surgical repair, surgical correction ie angioplasty (use balloon and stent to open arteries that are blocked)

Gen/o

to produce, to begin

-Tomy vs. -Stomy

tomy: temporary incision -stomy: permanent or semipermanent opening

Total vs subtotal hysterectomy

total: remove cervix and uterus sub: only portion of uterus is removed

Ad-

toward, near

Bi-

two, both

Hem/o or hemat/o

blood

Myeloma

bone marrow, malignant tumor of cells in the bone marrow

Neur/o

Nerve

Neo-

New

Coccyg/o

coccyx, tailbone

Uni-

One

Sacr/o

Sacrum

Anemia vs. leukemia vs. leukocytosis

Anemia: deficiency in red blood cells or hemoglobin of rbc Leukemia: cancerous condition of increased wbc abnormal Leukocytosis: slight increase in wbc due to infection

Antigens v. antibodies v. antibiotics

Antigen-foreign substances that stimulate white blood cells to make antibodies Antibodies- destroy antigens Antibiotics- medications produced outside the body to kill or inhibit the growth of antigens such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi

An/o

Anus

Ab-

Away from

Ulcerative colitis vs crohns disease

Both are inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with similar signs and symptoms, like abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding. cause is unknown UC: confined to colon CD: affects last part of small intestine and may involve other areas of GI tract

Encephala/o

Brain

-Pnea

Breathing

Bronch/o

Bronchial tubes (leading from trachea to lungs)

Myelogram

Contrast material is injected into the membrane around the spinal cord (lumbar puncture) and then x-ray pictures are taken of the spinal cord, less frequent b/c of MRI

-Tomy

Cutting into

-Section

Cutting into an organ

-Ectomy

Cutting out, excision or resection of an organ or body part

Hyper-

Excessive, too much, above

Ophthalm/o

Eye

-Lapse

Fall, slide

Tachy-

Fast

Sarc/o

Flesh

Rheumat/o

Flow, fluid

Anter/o

Front

Planes of the Body

Frontal (coronal plane): vertical plane that divides the body, or body parts into front or back portions- anterior/posterior Sagittal (lateral plane): vertical plane that divides the body into right and left sides (midsagittal divides it into right and left halves) Transverse (axial) plane: Horizontal plane that divides the body into upper or lower portions, like a cross section

Aden/o

Gland

Organs

Group of different tissues working together i.e. the stomach has muscle, skin, and nerve tissues that help it function

System

Group of organs working together i.e. digestive system has stomach, mouth, esophagus, intestines, etc

Syndrome

Group of signs and symptoms that occur together indicating a particular condition, don't always know the cause examples include AIDS, Carpal Tunnel, Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome (MVPS)

Hematuria and Uremia

H: blood in the urine U: high levels of urea in the blood

Hemi-

Half

Cephalic/o

Head

Cardi/o

Heart

CRIN/o

Secrete

-Crine

Secretion

Autopsy

See what caused patient's death

Col/o or Colon/o

Large Intestine (colon)

Mediastinum

Large area between the lungs

Leukemia

Large number of immature, cancerous cells are found in the bloodstream and bone marrow

Larynx/o

Larynx (voice box) in upper trachea

Arthr/o

Joint

Nephr/o

Kidney

Ren/o

Kidney

Gnos/o

Knowledge

Laparotomy vs. Laparoscopy

Laparotomy: incision in abdomen to explore or remove tissue Laparoscopy: visual examination of the abdomen using small incisions to insert tools to explore or remove organs

Leukocytosis vs Leukemia

Leukocytosis: slight increase in normal white blood cell- body's response to bacterial infection Leukemia: malignant condition marked by dramatic increase in cancerous white blood cells

Bi/o

Life

Hepat/o

Liver

Lumb/o

Loin, waist

Spinal Column

Long row of bones from the neck to the tailbone, each bone is the vertebra, two or more are vertebrae

Aphasia

Loss of speech

Lymph/o

Lymph ( clear fluid in tissue spaces and lymph vessels)

Poly-

Many, much

Hematoma

Mass of blood trapped in tissues of the skin or in an organ- result of trauma and is called a bruise

Mediastin/o

Mediastinum (space between the lungs)

Pathologist

Medical doctor who views biopsy samples to make diagnosis and examines dead bodies to determine cause of death

Meninges

Membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord

Menorrhea vs menorrhagia

Menorrhea: normal discharge of good and tissue from the lining of the uterus Menorrhagia: abnormally heavy or long menstrual periods- chronic can cause anemia, common complication of myxomas (fibroids)

Men/o

Menses (monthly discharge of blood from the lining of the uterus)

Psychosis

Mental condition where patient loses touch with reality- symptoms include hallucinations and delusions

Psych/o

Mind

myoma vs myosarcoma vs myeloma vs myelogram

Myoma: tumor benign of muscle Myosarcoma: malignant tumor of muscle Myeloma: malignant condition in bone marrow myelogram: x-ray of spinal cord

-Stomy

Opening

Ex-

Out

Exo-

Outside

Extra-

Outside of

Peritone/o

Peritoneum (membrane surrounding the abdominal organs)

-AC

Pertaining to

-AL

Pertaining to

-IC

Pertaining to

-IOR

Pertaining to

ARY-

Pertaining to

-Vascular

Pertaining to blood vessels

Pharyng/o

Pharynx (throat)

Disk

Piece of flexible connective tissue, lies between each backbone, composed of cartilage

Thrombocyte

Platelet- small cell that helps blood to clot

Pleur/o

Pleura

Cuspid-

Pointed end, tricuspid on right side of heart, mitral (bicuspid) valve on left

Prognosis

Prediction (before knowledge) that is made after the diagnosis- forecasts the outcome of treatment

Erythr/o

Red

Remission vs relapse

Remission: no longer sick from disease- treatment work, no more signs or symptoms of the disease Relapse: means treatment not working, have disease again, symptoms come back after a period of time

Norm/o

Rule, order

Drome-

Running or occurring

Combining Form

The combination of the root and the combining vowel

-Ology

The study of

Odont/o

Tooth

Trache/o

Trachea, windpipe

Iatr/o

Treatment

-Therapy

Treatment i.e. cryotherapy- use liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide snow is applied and blistering followed by necrosis results

Psychiatrist

Treatment of mental disorders

Rheumatologist

Treatment of systemic diseases affecting joints and muscles

Physiatrist

Treatment to restore function after injury or illness; physical edocone and rehab specialist

Onc/o

Tumor

-OMA

Tumor or mass

Ana-

Up, apart

Cyst/o

Urinary bladder

Vertebr/o

Vertebra (backbone)

Leuk/o

White

Con-

With, together

Syn-

With, together

Endo-

Within

Intra-

Within

End-

Within, in, inner

Gynec/o

Women, female

Radi/o

X-rays

Re-

back

In-

in, into

Cervic/o

neck of the body or neck of the uterus