Chapter 1 - Intro to Medical Terminology PDF

INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY CHAPTER 1  WORD PARTS Word Root – Contains the basic meaning of the term. Word part usually, but not always, indicates the involved body part. Ex. Word root meaning stomach is gastr- Combining Form –...

INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY CHAPTER 1  WORD PARTS Word Root – Contains the basic meaning of the term. Word part usually, but not always, indicates the involved body part. Ex. Word root meaning stomach is gastr- Combining Form – A word root with a combining vowel added at the end, used when two word roots are combined or when a suffix beginning with a constant is added. When combining form appears alone, it is shown with a back slash (/) between the word root and the combining vowel.  WORD PARTS Suffix – Usually, but not always, indicates the procedure, condition, disorder or disease. A suffix always comes at the end of the word -Itis means inflammation Prefix – Usually, but not always, indicates location, time, number or status A prefix always comes at the beginning of a word Hyper- means excessive or increased.  WORD ROOTS Word roots act as the foundation for most medical terms. They usually, but not always, describe the part of the body that is involved. Examples: Spinal cord – myel/o Bone – oste/o Muscle – my/o Nerve – neur/o Joint – arthr/o  SUFFIXES A combining vowel is used when the suffix begins with a consonant. Ex. Neur/o (nerve) is joined with the suffix –plasty (surgical repair) or –rrhaphy (surgical suturing), the combining vowel o is used because –plasty and –rrhaphy both begin a a consonant. A combining vowel is not used when the suffix begins with a vowel. Ex. Tonsill means tonsils. Tonsillitis – Inflammation of the tonsils Tonsillectomy – Surgical removal of the tonsils.  SUFFIXES A noun is a word that is the name of a person, place or thing. In medical terminology, some suffixes change the word root into a noun. Ex. Cranium is the portion of the skull that encloses the brain (crani = skull and um is a noun ending) An adjective is a word that defines or describes. In medical terminology, many suffixes meaning “pertaining to” are used to change the meaning of a word root into an adjective. Ex. Cardi means heart, and the suffix –ac means pertaining to. Once combined, they form the term cardiac that means pertaining to the heart.  SUFFIXES Many suffixes such as –osis mean “abnormal condition or disease” Ex. Gastrosis means any disease of the stomach (gastr means stomach, and –osis means abnormal condition or disease) Pathology is the study of all aspects of disease (path means disease and –ology means study of) -algia means pain and suffering (Gastralgia – stomachache or pain in the stomach) -dynia is another suffix meaning pain (also means pain in the stomach) -itis meaning inflammation (Inflammation of the stomach)  PATHOLOGY -Megaly – Enlargement. Hepatomegaly – abnormal enlargement of the liver -Malacia – Abnormal softening Arteriomalacia – Abnormal softening of the walls of an artery or arteries. -Necrosis – Tissue death Arterionecrosis is the tissue death of an artery or arteries -Sclerosis – Abnormal hardening Arteriosclerosis is abnormal hardening of the artery or arteries. -Stenosis – Abnormal narrowing Arteriostenosis is the abnormal narrowing of the artery or arteries.  SUFFIXES RELATED TO PROCEDURES -centesis – surgical procedure to remove fluid for diagnostic purposes or to remove excess fluid. Abdominocentesis – surgical puncture of the abdominal cavity to remove fluid - graphy – process of producing a picture or record Angiography – process of producing a radiographic (x-ray) study of blood vessels after the injection of a contrast medium to make these blood vessels visible. -gram – picture or record. Angiogram – Resulting film that is produced by angiography  WORDS -plasty – Surgical repair Myoplasty – surgical repair of a muscle -scopy – visual examination (arthroscopy – visual examination of the internal structure of joints  ”DOUBLE R” SUFFIXES Medical terminology suffixes beginning with two of the letter r often referred to as the double R’s can be confusing. -rrhage and –rrhagia mean bleeding, however they are often used to describe severe, sudden bleeding Hemorrhage is the loss of a large amount of blood in a short time -rrhaphy – surgical suturing to close a wound and includes the use of sutures, staples or surgical glue Myorrhaphy – surgical suturing of a muscle wound  DOUBLE R’S -rrhea – flow or discharge and refers to the flow of most body fluids Diarrhea – frequent flow of loose or watery stools --rrhexis – rupture Myorrhexis – rupture of a muscle  PREFIXES Prefixes usually, but not always, indicate location, time or number.  PRONUNCIATION Look-alike, Sound-alike terms and word parts Arteri/o, ather/o, arthr/o Arteri/o – artery Ather/o – Plaque or fatty substance Arthr/o – joint  MORE WORDS -Ectomy, -ostomy, -otomy -ectomy – surgical removal -ostomy – surgical creation of an artificial opening to the body surface -otomy – cutting or a surgical incision Fissure – Groove or a crack-like sore of the skin Term also describes normal folds in the contours of the brain Fistula – Abnormal passage, usually between two internal organs or leading to an organ to the surface of the body.  MORE WORDS Ileum – last and longest portion of the small intestine Ilium – part of the hip bone. Infection – Invasion of the body by a pathogenic organism. Malaise – Word of French origin referring to a feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness. Exudate – Fluid, such as pus, that leaks out of an infected wound. Inflammation – A localized response to an injury or to the destruction of tissues. Key indicators of inflammation are: 1) erythema (redness), 2) hyperthermia (heat) 3) edema (swelling) and 4) pain.  WORDS Laceration – torn or jagged wound or an accidental cut Lesion – Pathologic change of the tissue due to disease or injury Mucous – Describes the specialized membranes that line the body cavities Mucus – Name of the fluid secreted by the mucous membranes.  WORDS Myc/o – fungus Mycosis – abnormal condition or disease caused by a fungus Myel/o – bone marrow or spinal cord Myelopathy – Any pathologic change or disease in the spinal cord My/o – muscle Any pathologic change or disease of muscle tissue  WORDS -ologist – specialist Dermatologist – physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating disorders of the skin -ology – the study of Neonatology - Study of the disorders of the newborn. Palpation – Examination technique in which the examiner’s hands are used to feel the texture, size, consistency, and location of certain body parts. Palpitation – Pounding or racing heart  WORDS Pyel/o – renal pelvis, which is part of the kidney Pyelitis – inflammation of the renal pelvis Py/o – pus. Any acute, inflammation, pus-forming bacterial skin infection such as impetigo Pyr/o – fever or fire. Pyrosis – also known as heartburn, is discomfort due to the regurgitation of stomach acid upward into the esophagus.  WORDS Supination – Act of rotating the arm so that palm of the hand is forward or upward. Suppuration – Formation or discharge of pus. Triage – Medical screening of patients to determine their relative priority of need and the proper place of treatment. Trauma – Means wound or injury. Viral – Pertaining to a virus Virile – Having the nature, properties or qualities of an adult male. PREFIXES  TAKING TERMS APART To determine a word’s meaning by looking at component pieces, you must first separate it into word parts: Always start at the end of the word, with the suffix, and work toward the beginning. Identify the meaning of each. Identifying the meaning of each part should give you a definition of the term. Necessary to determine the context in which the term is being used. Context means to determine which body system this term is referring to. Be aware that not all medical terms are made up of word parts.  EXAMPLES Otorhinolaryngology Made up of two combining forms, a word root, and a suffix. Suffix –ology means the study ofSuffix -ology: the study of Word root laryng: larynx or throat Combining vowel is not used here because word root is joining a suffix that begins with a vowel Combining form rhin/o: nose Combining vowel is used here because word root rhin is joining another word root Study of the ears, nose, and throat. (Also referred as ENT)  PRONUNCIATION Commonly accepted pronunciation appears in parenthesis next to the term Pronounce a new word by saying it as it is spelled in the parentheses. Primary emphasis shown in uppercase boldface letters (eh-DEE-mah) Secondary emphasis shown in boldface lowercase letters (ah-pen-dih-SIGH-tis)  SPELLING IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT Changing just one or two letters may completely change the meaning of a word Many medical terms are known as "look-alike, sound-alike"