By: Mallory Shelly

My son was born with a congenital birth defect, where his left coronal suture was fused. It’s called craniosynostosis. He had to

have surgery to remove a portion of his skull at 4 months.

Coronal-

Frontal

Crani/o-

Skull

Syn-

United/ together

Ostosis-

Condition of the bone

Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle due to lack of calcium. “A porous condition of the bone”. (Collins, 2013, p. 12)

Oste/o-

Bone

Porosis-

Porous

A brain hemorrhage is a type of stroke. It's caused by an artery in the

brain bursting.

Hem-

blood

Rrage-

Flowing forth

A microscope is used to see objects that are too small for the naked

eye.

Micro-

Small

SCOPE

Device for viewing

The patient’s nose was crooked after a sport accident, so she opted

for a rhinoplasty to correct the formation.

Rhino-

Nose

Plasty-

Surgical repair

“A layer of connective tissue called the subcutaneous layer lies beneath the

dermis”. (Collins, 2013 p. 46)

Sub-

Under or below

Cutane/o-

Skin

Ous-

Adjective suffix

Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is a common problem in people

with diabetes.

Hypo-

Low

Glyc/o-

Sugar

Emia-

condition

A pediatrician is a medical practitioner specializing in children and their diseases.

Ped-

children

Iatr

Physician

Ician-

Practitioner

A psychopath is defined as person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior.

Psych/o-

Mind

Path-

disease

When my son was born, he was referred to the neurology

department to have his craniosynostosis corrected.

Neur-

nerves

Ology-

The study of

Cholelithiasis is the medical term for gallstones.

Chol/e-

Gall

Lithiasis-

presence of stones

Arteriostenosis can be caused by uncontrolled cholesterol.

Arter/i/o-

Artery

Stenosis-

Narrowing of

Albinism occurs when one of several genetic defects makes the body

unable to produce or distribute melanin.

Albin/o-

White

Ism-

condition

Cardiomegaly is a sign that the heart is overworked , often due

to high blood pressure

Card/i/o-

Heart

Megaly-

enlargement

Melanocytes produce melanin. Bruni (2014)

Melan/o-

Cyte-

Cell

A product that is labeled Antiseptic, is used as an “agent that inhibits

the growth of infectious agents”. (Collins, 2013, p. 58)

Anti-

Against

Septic-

Poison

The epigastric region is above the stomach and is situated between

the left and right hypochondriac regions. (Collins, 2013. p 38)

Epi-

Above

Gastric-

Stomach

The thoracic cavity (or chest cavity) is the chamber of the human body

(and other animal bodies) that is protected by the thoracic wall.

After the skiing accident, the man became quadriplegic, losing the

ability to move his limbs.

Quad-

Four

-Plegia-

Paralysis

An endoscope is an instrument for examining the interior of a body

cavity.

Endo-

In/within

Scope-

An instrument for

viewing

A colostomy provides a new path for waste material and gas to

leave the body. A colostomy can be permanent or temporary.

Colo-

Colon

-Ostomy-

Creating an

opening

A woman may have a hysterectomy for different reasons, including:

• Cancer of the uterus, cervix, or ovaries

• Endometriosis

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding

• Chronic pelvic pain

Hyster/o-

Uterus

Ectomy-

Surgical removal of

The epidermis is the relatively thin, tough, outer layer of the skin.

Epi-

Upon/ top

Dermis-

Skin

Bradycardia is a slower than normal heart rate.

Brady-

Abnormally slow rate of

speed

Card/i/o-

Heart

Ia-

Explanation

The neonatal period is the first 4 weeks of a child's life.

Neo-

New

Natal-

Relating to birth

Collins, C. Edward. A Short Course in Medical

Terminology. 3rd ed. Baltimore: Lippincott

Williams & Wilkins, 2013. Print.

Mayo Clinic - Mayo Clinic. N.p., n.d. Web. 04

Feb. 2015.

Skin 2. Perf. Mary Bruno. YouTube. N.p., 14 Sept.

2014. Web. 8 Feb. 2015.

Badger, B. (1990). Medical Terminology. [Class

Handout]. Surgical Technology Program, Fanning

School of Health and Technical Occupations,

Worcester, MA.