Basic Med Terms/Locations Flashcards
glossitis
A healthcare term meaning “inflammation of the tongue.”
sublingual
A healthcare term meaning “pertaining to under the tongue.”
Combining form
Word root with its respective combining vowel
Suffix
Word part that appears at the end of a term
Prefix
Word part that sometimes appears at the beginning of a term
nondecodable terms
words used in medicine whose definitions must be memorized without the benefit of word parts
Cataract
progressive opacification of the lens
Asthma
a respiratory disorder characterized
by recurring episodes of paroxysmal dyspnea
Diagnosis
The disease or condition that is named after a healthcare profes- sional evaluates a patient’s signs, symptoms, and history
Prognosis
“a prediction of the probable outcome of a disease or disorder.”
Sequela
A condition that results from an injury or disease.
Acute
A term that describes an abrupt, severe onset to
a disease
Chronic
Developing slowly and lasting for a long time
Eponyms
Terms that are named after a person or place associated with the term
IM abbreviation
“intramuscular” (pertaining to within the muscles)
CABG acronym
Coronary artery bypass graft (a detour around a blockage in an
artery of the heart)
TURP acronym
Transurethral resection of the prostate (a surgical procedure that
removes the prostate through the urethra
♂
Male
♀
Female
↑
Increased
↓
Decreased
+
Present
−
Absent
CARD method
Check for the word parts in a term / Assign meanings to the word parts / Reverse the meaning of the suffix to the front of your definition / Define the term
arthr/o
joint
gastr/o
stomach
ophthalm/o
eye
ot/o
ear
rhin/o
nose
hepat/o
liver
-algia
pain
-tomy
incision
-scope
instrument to view
-logy
study of
-plasty
surgical repair
-itis
inflammation
arthralgia
Pain of a joint. Also called arthrodynia
gastrotomy
Incision of the stomach
ophthalmoscope
instrument used to view the eye.
otology
study of the ear
rhinoplasty
surgical repair of the nose
hepatitis
inflammation of the liver
duoden/o
duo- denum, the first part of the small intestines
esophago- gastroduodenoscopy (EGD)
a visual examination of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum
-icle
small, tiny
cuticle
Small skin
-is
structure, thing
hypodermis
Structure under the skin
-ole
small, tiny
arteriole
Small artery
-ule
small, tiny
venule
Small vein
-um
structure, thing, membrane
endocardium
Structure within the heart
-y
process of, condition
atrophy
Process of no development
-ac
pertaining to
-al
pertaining to
-ar
pertaining to
-ary
pertaining to
-eal
pertaining to
-ic
pertaining to
-ous
pertaining to
cardiac
pertaining to the heart
cervical
pertaining to the neck
valvular
pertaining to a valve
coronary
pertaining to the heart
esophageal
Pertaining to the esophagus
hypodermic
Pertaining to below the skin
subcutaneous
Pertaining to under the skin
-cele
herniation
cystocele
Herniation of the bladder.
-dynia
pain
cardiodynia
pain in the heart
-emia
blood condition
hyperlipidemia
Condition of excessive fats in the blood
-ia
condition
agastria
Condition of having no stomach
gastroenteritis
Inflammation of the stomach and small intestine.
-malacia
softening
chondromalacia
Softening of the cartilage
-megaly
enlargement
splenomegal
Enlargement of the spleen
-oma
tumor, mass
osteoma
Tumor of a bone
-osis
abnormal condition
psychosis
Abnormal condition of the mind
-pathy
disease process
gastropathy
Disease process of the stomach
-ptosis
prolapse, drooping, sagging
hysteroptosis
Prolapse of the uterus
-rrhage, -rrhagia
bursting forth
hemorrhage
Bursting forth of blood.
-rrhea
discharge, flow
otorrhea
Discharge from the ear
-rrhexis
rupture
cystorrhexis
Rupture of the bladder
-sclerosis
abnormal condition of hardening
-stenosis
abnormal condition of narrowing
arteriosclerosis
Abnormal condition of hardening of an artery
tracheostenosis
Abnormal condition of narrowing of the trachea or windpipe
-graphy
process of recording
mammography
process of recording the breast
-metry
process of measuring
spirometry
Process of measuring breathing
-opsy
process of viewing
biopsy
Process of viewing living tissue
-centesis
surgical puncture
amniocentesis
Surgical puncture of the amnion
-ectomy
removal, resection, excision
tonsillectomy
Removal of the tonsils
-rrhaphy
suture, repair
splenorrhaphy
Suture of the spleen
-stomy
new opening
colostomy
New opening of the colon or large intestine
-tomy
incision, cutting
osteotomy
incision into the bone
-tripsy
crushing
lithotripsy
Crushing of stones
-graph
instrument to record
electrocardiograph
Instrument to record the electricity of the heart
thermometer
Instrument to measure temperature
-meter
instrument to measure
ophthalmoscope
Instrument to view the eye
-tome
instrument to cut
osteotome
instrument to cut bone
-tripter
machine to crush
lithotripter
Machine to crush stone
-trite
instrument to crush
lithotrite
Instrument to crush
stone
-iatrics
treatment
pediatrics
treatment of children
-iatrist
one who specializes in treatment
Psychiatrist
One who specializes in treatment of the mind
-iatry
process of treatment
psychiatry
Process of treatment of the mind
-ist
one who specializes
dentist
One who specializes in the teeth
-logist
one who specializes in the study of
psychologist
One who specializes in the study of the mind
-logy
study of
neonatology
The study of the newborn
a-/an-
no, not, without
ante-
forward, in front of, before
anti-
against
apneic
Pertaining to without breathing
anophthalmia
Condition of without an eye
anteversion
Process of turning forward.
dys-
abnormal, difficult, bad, painful
dystrophy
Process of abnormal nourishment
endo-, end-
within
endoscopy
Process of viewing within
epi-
above, upon
epigastric
Pertaining to above the stomach
hyper-
excessive, above
hyperglycemia
Blood condition of excessive sugar
hypo-
below, deficient
hypoglossal
pertaining to below the tongue
inter-
between
intervertebral
between the backbones
intra-
within
intramuscular
within the muscle
neo-
new
neonatal
a newborn
par-
near, beside
parotid
near the ear
para-
near, beside, abnormal
paraphilia
condition of abnormal attraction
per-
through
percutaneous
through the skin
peri-
surrounding, around
pericardiocentesis
Surgical puncture of the heart to remove fluid from the pericardium
poly-
many, much, excessive, frequent
polyneuritis
inflammation of many nerves
post-
after, behind
postnatal
after birth
pre-
before, in front of
prenatal
before birth
sub-
under, below
subhepatic
Pertaining to under the liver
trans-
through, across
transurethra
through the urethra
plural ending of ‘a’
‘ae’, as in vertebrae
plural ending of ‘is’
‘es’, as in arthroses
plural ending of ‘ix’ or ‘ex’
‘ices’, as in appendices
plural ending of ‘itis’
‘itides’, as in arthritides
plural ending of ‘nx’
‘nges’, as in phalanges
plural ending of ‘um’
‘a’, as in endocardia
plural ending of ‘us’
‘i’, as in digiti
plural ending of ‘y’
‘ies’, as in therapies
cyt/o
cell
hist/o
tissue
my/o
muscle
neur/o
nervous
-plasm
formation
-stasis
controlling
homeostasis
The internal environment of the body that is compatible with life
peristalsis
Rhythmic contraction of involuntary muscles lining the gastrointestinal tract
vasoconstriction
Contraction of the muscles causing narrowing of the inside tube of the vessel
coronal/frontal plane
divides the body into front and back portions
anterior/ventral
front of the body
posterior/dorsal
back of the body
midsagittal/median plane
separates the body into equal right and left halves
medial
Closer to the midline is referred to as _____
lateral
farther away from the midline is referred to as _____
transverse/horizontal plane
divides the body horizontally into upper and lower sections
superior/cephalad
area above the transverse plane
inferior/caudad
area below the transverse plane
Unilateral
pertains to one side
bilateral
pertains to two sides
Dextrad
means toward the right side
sinistrad
means toward the left side
Afferent
pertains to carrying toward a structure
Efferent
pertains to carrying away from a structure
Ipsilateral
pertains to the same side
Contralateral
pertains to the opposite side
Proximal
pertains to near the origin or toward the trunk of the body
Distal
pertains to far from the origin or farthest from the trunk of the body
laying supine
means a person is lying face up
laying prone
lying face down
laying lateral
Lying on one’s side
anter/o
front
caud/o
tail
cephal/o
head
dextr/o
right
dist/o
far
dors/o
back
fer/o
to carry
infer/o
downward
later/o
side
medi/o
middle
poster/o
back
proxim/o
near
sinistr/o
left
super/o
upward
ventr/o
belly
dorsal body cavity protects/holds ____
nervous system organs, cranial cavity, the spinal cavity
Ventral body cavity holds _____
the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities
RUQ includes:
right lobe of the liver and the gallbladder, right kidney, small intestine (duodenum), large intestine (ascending and transverse colon), and head of the pancreas
LUQ includes:
the stomach, spleen, left lobe of the liver, pancreas, left kidney, and large intestine (transverse and descending colon)
RLQ includes:
the appendix, cecum, right ovary, right ureter, right spermatic cord, large intestine (ascending colon), and right kidney
LLQ includes:
the small intestine, large intestine (descending and sigmoid colon), left ovary, left ureter, left spermatic cord, and left kidney
chondr/o
cartilage
Right Hypochondriac Region includes:
Liver, gallbladder, right kidney
Epigastric Region includes:
Kidneys, pancreas, liver, stomach
Left Hypochondriac Region includes:
Stomach, liver, left kidney, spleen
Right Lumbar Region includes:
Small intestine, large intestine (ascending colon), liver, right kidney
Umbilical Region includes:
Small intestine, large intestine (transverse colon), pancreas, stomach
Left Lumbar Region includes:
Small intestine, large intestine (descending colon), left kidney
Right Iliac Region includes:
Appendix, small intestine, large intestine (cecum and ascending colon)
Hypogastric Region includes:
Small intestine, large intestine (sigmoid colon), bladder
Left Iliac Region includes:
Small intestine, large intestine (descending and sigmoid colon)
Etiology
The cause of the disorder or disease
