Transcript terminology suffixes - Workforce Solutions

TERMINOLOGY
SUFFIXES
Heather Wipijewski CVT ALAT
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Suffix – Found at the end of a word.
 -ectomy:
Surgical removal
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-pexy:
Suture to stabilize
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Mastectomy – surgical removal of breast or
mammary glands.
Gastropexy – surgically stabilizing the
stomach to the abdominal wall (tacking)
-plasty: Surgically repair
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Rhinoplasty – Surgically repair the nose
(nose job)
• Note that the “o” in rhino was NOT removed.
WHY?
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-stomy: Surgically created opening
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- tomy: Cutting into
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Colostomy – surgically created opening
between colon and outside of body.
Enterotomy – to cut into the small intestine
NOTE – tomy and stomy look very much
alike, so it’s very important to read the
word carefully, determine what the root
word is and what the suffix is.
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- Centesis: Surgical puncture to
remove fluid or gas
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-Gram: Record of
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Cystocentesis – to puncture the bladder with
a needle to remove urine.
Electrocardiogram – Hard copy record of
electrical current of the heart.
-Graph: Instrument used to record
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Electrocardiograph – Instrument used to
record the electrical currents of the heart ( the
print out from this machine would be the
electrocardiogram
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-Graphy: Procedure that records
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Electrocardiography – The procedure used to
record the electrical current of the heart.
Important to realize the difference between
–graph, -graphy and –gram.
-Lysis: Separation or breakdown
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Urinalysis – separation of the urine into its
constituents.
Hemolysis – Breakdown of blood (specifically red
blood cells)
-scope: Instrument used to
visually examine
 -scopy: Procedure to visually
examine.
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• Arthroscope vs. Arthroscopy
 Arthro/scope (instrument)
 Arthro/scopy (procedure)
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-therapy: treatment
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Chemotherapy – Treatment with chemical
substances or drugs.
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-algia/-dynia: pain
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-itis: Inflammation
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Hepatitis – Inflammation of the liver
-malacia: abnormal softening
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Arthralgia/Arthrodynia – joint pain
Osteomalacia – abnormal softening of
bone
-megaly: enlargement
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Cardiomegaly – enlargement of the heart
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-osis: abnormal condition
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-pathy: disease
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Enteropathy – disease of the small intestine
-sclerosis: abnormal hardening
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Cardiosis – abnormal condition of the heart
Can you break this word down? Root vs. suffix?
Arteriosclerosis – abnormal hardening of the
arteries.
-um: structure
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Pericardium – structure surrounding the heart
Can you break this word down?
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-rrhagia or –rrhage – bursting forth
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-rrhaphy – to suture
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Enterorrhaphy – suturing of the small
intestines.
-rrhea – flow, discharge
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Hemorrhage – bursting forth of blood
from the vessels.
Diarrhea – discharge of the bowels.
-rrhexis – rupture
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Myorrhexis – rupture of the muscle
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Allow for easier pronounciation of a word.
-ac (cardiac)
-al
(renal)
-an (ovarian)
-ar
(lumbar)
-ary (alimentary)
-eal (laryngeal)
-ic
(enteric)
-ine (uterine)
-ous (cutaneous)
-tic
(nephrotic)
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For each of the following words – let’s break
them down into prefix, root and suffix and
define.
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Example – Gastritis = gastr/itis inflammation of the
stomach
Gastric
Gingivitis
Presurgical
Ovariohysterectomy
Subcutaneous
Hepatomegaly