Medical Terminology Suffixes

Question 1

-centesis

Answer 1

surgical puncture to aspirate or remove fluid. Ex: amniocentesis: puncture of the amnion from removing fluid for study or administering treatment to the fetus

Question 2

-ectomy

Answer 2

Excision (surgical removal or cutting out)
Ex: appendectomy is excision of the appendix

Question 3

-lysis

Answer 3

Process of loosening, freeing, or destroying

Ex: hemolysis- destroying old or faulty red blood cells, occurs in the spleen

Question 4

-plasty

Answer 4

Surgical repair.

Ex: Mammoplasty, plastic surgery of the breasts

Question 5

-rrhaphy

Answer 5

suture, uniting wound by stiches.

Ex: angiography- suture of a blood vessel

Question 6

-pexy

Answer 6

surgical fixation

mastopexy- plastic surgery that fastens breasts in a fixed postilion to correct sagging

Question 7

-scopy

Answer 7

visual examination with a lighted instrument. not always surgical

Question 8

-stomy

Answer 8

formation of an opening

Ex: tracheostomy, surgical procedure that forms a new opening into the trachea

Question 9

-tome

Answer 9

an instrument used for cutting

ex: microtome used for cutting thin sections of tissue for microscopic study.

Question 10

-tomy

Answer 10

incision (cutting tissue)

ex: tracheotomy, incision of the trachea

Question 11

-tripsy

Answer 11

surgical crushing

ex: lithotripsy, surgical crushing of a calculus (stone)