Medical Terminology

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Medical Terminology

• Dr. Walid Daoud
• A. Professor

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Introduction

• Medical Terminology is the study of words that
  relate to body systems, anatomical structures,
  medical processes and procedures, and a variety
  of diseases that afflict human organism.

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Word Root (WR)

• It is the basic stem word, usually derived from
  Greek or Latin language.
• WR is the building blocks for many Prefixes,
  Suffixes, Anatomical Words, Medical procedures.

Word Root (WR) Greek Word
cardi oste nephr gastr erythr Kardia (heart) osteon (bone) nephros (kidney) gastros (stomach) erythros (red)
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Combining Form (CF)

• It is a WR to which a final vowel (usually O)
  is added (CF WR / O).

Meaning CF WR
heart cell bone kidney stomach red cardi / o cyt / o oste / o nephr / o gastr / o erythr / o cardi cyt oste nephr gastr erythr
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Building Compound Words

• The vowel performs a connecting function. If
  second WR begins with a consonant
• leuk / o cyt / o white
• erythr / o cyt / o red
• If the second WR begins with a vowel, the O is
  sometimes retained
• gastr / o / enter / o stomach and intestine
• In others, a combining vowel is not added
• hem / angio blood vessel

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Suffixes

• A suffix is a word element placed at the end of a
  word or stem to form a new word.
• Suffixes beginning with vowels

WR Suffix Medical Word
gastr itis (inflammation) gastritis gastr algia (pain) gastralgia gastr ectomy (excision) gastrectomy
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Suffixes

• Suffixes beginning with consonants

Combining Form Suffix Medical Word WR O
col O tomy (incision) colotomy col O scopy (examination) coloscopy col O rrhaphy (suture) colorrhaphy
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Summary of Rules

• Build medical words by the following rules
• RULE 1.
• Add suffixes that begin with an initial vowel
  directly to the word root.
• RULE 2.
• Add a connecting vowel O to the word root when
  the suffix begins with a consonant.

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Surgical Procedure Suffixes
Example Meaning Suffix
append/ectomy appendix arthr/o/centesis joint col/o/stomy colon phleb/o/tomy vein excision puncture mouth, forming an opening incision to cut into -ectomy -o/centesis -o/stomy -o/tomy
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Surgical Procedures Suffixes
Example Meaning Suffix
arthr/o/desis joint neur/o/rrhaphy gastr/o/pexy stomach rhin/o/plasty nose binding, stabilization suture fixation, suspension formation, plastic repair -desis -o/rrhaphy -o/pexy -o/plasty
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Surgical Procedure Suffixes
Example Meaning Suffix
oste/o/clasis bone enter/o/lysis small intestine lith/o/tripsy stone to break down, refracture loosen, free from adhesions, destruction to crush -o/clasis -o/lysis -o/tripsy
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Diagnostic and Symptomatic Suffixes
Example Meaning Suffix
cephal/algia head cephal/o/dynia head hepato/cele liver bronchi/ectasis bronchus carcin/o/gen cancer pain pain hernia, swelling dilatation beginning, origin -algia -o/dynia -o/cele -ectasis -o/gen
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Diagnostic and Symptomatic Suffixes
Example Meaning Suffix
chole/lith/iasis gall stone gastr/itis stomach bio/logy life oste/o/malacia bone hepat/o/megaly liver condition, formation of Inflammation study of softening enlargement -iasis -itis -o/logy -o/malacia -o/megaly
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Diagnostic and Symptomatic Suffixes
Example Meaning Suffix
lip/oid lipid aden/oma gland dermat/osis skin nephr/o/pathy kidney leuk/o/penia white (cell) resemble tumor abnormal condition disease decrease, deficiency -oid -oma -osis -o/pathy -o/penia
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Diagnostic and Symptomatic Suffixes
Example Meaning Suffix
dys/phagia difficult a/phasia without hemi/plegia half acro/phobia extremities hyster/o/ptosis uterus eating speech paralysis fear prolapse, falling -phagia -phasia -plegia -phobia -o/ptosis
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Diagnostic and Symptomatic Suffixes
Example Meaning Suffix
hem/o/rrhage blood men/o/rrhea menses angi/o/rrhexis blood vessel arteri/o/sclerosis artery ot/o/scopy ear hemorrhage discharge, flow rupture hardening examination -o/rrhage -o/rrhea -o/rrhexis -o/sclerosis -o/scopy
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General Review-Suffixes

• For building a medical term
  The CF is used when a suffix begins with
• a consonant
• gastr/o/pexy leuk/o/cyte
• nephr/o/pexy oste/o/cyte
• The WR is directly joined to the suffix when
  the suffix begins with a vowel
• gastr/algia dermat/osis
• nephr/oma mast/ectomy

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Suffixes Adjective Endings
Example Adjective Ending
cardi/ac (heart) neur/al (nerve) saliv/ary (saliva) hypo/derm/ic (under skin) med/ical (medicine) sub/cutane/ous (under skin) paraly/tic (paralysis) -ac -al -ary -ic -ical -ous -tic
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Suffixes Noun Endings
Example Meaning Noun Ending
Hemo/o/phil/iac (Blood love) Pneumon/ia Cut/is (skin) Alcohol/ism Uro/log/ist Myo/path/y (muscle disease) Indicates person afflicted with disease Forms noun from root Abnormal condition One who specializes Condition or process -iac -ia -is -ism -ist -y
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Plural Endings
Plural Singular Plural Form Singular
pleurae thoraces lumina appendices diagnoses ganglia bacteria digiti deformities carcinomata pleura thorax lumen appendix diagnosis ganglion bacterium digitus deformity carcinoma ae aces ina ices ses a a i ies mata a ax en ix sis on um us y ma