Medical Terminology Flashcards

Medical Roots and Prefixes

• Morph/o: Indicates "shape"; often used in anatomical terms.
• Hemat/o: Pertains to "blood"; key in hematology.
• Rhin/o: Refers specifically to the "nose"; relevant in rhinology.
• Nephr/o: Relates to the "kidney"; central to nephrology.
• Pulmon/o: Associated with the "lung"; important in pulmonary medicine.
• Cardi/o: Means "heart"; fundamental in cardiology.
• Ur/o: Relates to "urine" and the "urinary tract"; critical in urology.
• Dermat/o: Refers to "skin"; essential in dermatology.
• Enter/o: Indicates the "small intestine"; significant in gastroenterology.
• Laryng/o: Pertains to the "voice box"; relevant in laryngology.

Medical Prefixes Indicating Quantity or Condition

• Hypo-: Means "under" or "below"; indicates deficiency.
• Dys-: Signifies "painful" or "difficult"; used to describe abnormal functions.
• Neo-: Indicates "new"; often used in medical terminology for new growths.
• Anti-: Denotes "against"; frequently used in describing medications.
• Hyper-: Means "over" or "above"; indicates excess levels.
• Pre-: Refers to "before"; used in procedural contexts.
• Brady-: Signifies "slow"; often used in heart rate contexts.
• Intra-: Means "within" or "inside"; describes locations.
• Peri-: Indicates "around"; used to describe areas surrounding structures.
• Epi-: Refers to "upon" or "over"; relevant in anatomical terms.
• Super-: Means "above" or "excess"; indicates heightened levels.
• Trans-: Denotes "through" or "across"; used to indicate movement.
• Endo-: Refers to "within" or "inner"; often in regard to organs.
• Retro-: Signifies "backward" or "behind"; indicates location.

Medical Suffixes Indicating Conditions or Procedures

• -iasis: Denotes "abnormal condition"; commonly used in disease terminology.
• -cyte: Refers to a "cell"; fundamental in biology and pathology.
• -lysis: Indicates "destruction"; describes processes in cellular biology.
• -genesis: Pertains to "produce" or "generate"; used in various medical contexts.
• -itis: Signifies "inflammation"; describes inflammatory conditions.
• -megaly: Indicates "enlargement"; relates to organ size.
• -algia: Means "pain"; used across various medical fields.
• -logy: Refers to the "study of"; fundamental in academic medical terms.
• -cise: Means "cut"; used in surgical terminology.
• -stenosis: Indicates "narrowing"; relevant in vascular contexts.
• -pathy: Refers to "disease"; often used in pathology.
• -ptosis: Signifies "drooping"; relevant in anatomical discussions.
• -sclerosis: Indicates "hardening"; often occurs in various medical conditions.
• -malacia: Refers to "abnormal softening"; indicates tissue conditions.
• -ism: Means "state of"; used for conditions or diseases.
• -tic, -iac, -ory, -ical, -al, -ar, -ior: All mean "pertaining to"; frequently used in descriptive medical terms.

Surgical and Diagnostic Procedures

• -ostomy: Refers to surgically creating an opening; used in various surgeries.
• -plasty: Indicates "surgical repair"; commonly used in reconstructive surgery.
• -ectomy: Refers to "surgical removal"; key in various surgical procedures.
• -centesis: Denotes "puncture to withdraw fluid"; used in diagnostic procedures.
• -pexy: Refers to "surgical fixation"; often in orthopedic or gynecological surgeries.
• -scopy: Means "process of visually examining"; used in exploratory surgeries.
• -graph: Refers to an "instrument for recording"; essential in diagnostic imaging.
• -gram: Indicates a "record" or "picture"; commonly related to imaging studies.
• -scope: Refers to an "instrument for viewing"; used in many diagnostic tests.
• -graphy: Indicates "process of recording"; used in various imaging techniques.

Medical Documentation

• Physicians Progress Notes: Daily records of a patient's condition by a physician.
• Discharge Summary: Comprehensive outline of a patient's entire hospital stay.
• Nurses Notes: Daily record of the care provided to the patient.
• Ancillary Report: Summaries from various treatments and therapies received by patients.
• Operative Report: Detailed records from the surgeon regarding an operation performed.