MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY
the chest wall (thoracic cage). 
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
-consists of the upper and lower respiratory
tracts. The upper tract includes the nose,
pharynx, larynx, and trachea. The lower tract
includes the left and right bronchi,
bronchioles, alveoli, and lungs.
The main function of the respiratory
system is to perform pulmonary ventilation of
the body. Respiratory structures, along with
the structures of the cardiovascular system,
transport oxygen (O2) and remove carbon
dioxide (CO2), a waste product from the cells
of the body. This process is accomplished by
events of respiration, exchanging O2 and
CO2 between the environmental air and the
blood circulating through the lungs.
Secondary functions of the respiratory
system include warming air as it passes into
the body and assisting in the speech function
by providing air for the larynx and the
vocal cords.
Pulmonology
medical specialty of pulmonology,
also called pulmonary medicine, is the branch
of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and
treatment of diseases involving the structures
of the lower respiratory tract, including the
lungs, their airways and blood vessels, and
Medical doctors who treat respiratory
disorders are called pulmonologists.
Respiratory disorders include but are not
limited to asthma, emphysema, chronic
bronchitis, lung disease, and pulmonary
vascular disease. 
Pulmonologists also care for patients
requiring specialized ventilator support and
lung transplantation. In general, they are
specialized to diagnose and manage
pulmonary disorders and acute and chronic
respiratory failure. 
Diagnosis and management of pulmonary
disorders may include pulmonary function
tests, arterial blood gas analysis, chest x-rays,
and chemical or microbiological tests.
MEDICAL TERMS
UPPER TRACT
 Adenoids (adenoid/o) – are a patch of tissue
that sit in the back of the nasal cavity.
 Larynx (laryng/o) – area of throat containing
the vocal cords and used for breathing,
swallowing and talking. Also called voice box.
 Nose (nas/o or rhin/o) – is only part of the
respisystem that is visible externally and is
the route for air entry into the respisystem.
 Pharynx (pharyng/o) – cone-shaped passage
wway leading frorm the oral and nasal
cavities in the head of the esophagus and the
larynx. It is the chamber serves both
respiratory and digestive functions.
 Tonsils (tonsill/o) – are the lymph nodes in
the wall of your pharynx.
 Trachea (trache/o) – is the airway that leads
from the larynx to the bronchi. Also called
windpipe.
LOWER TRACT
 Alveolus / alveoli (alveol/o) – are where the
lungs and the blood exchange oxygen and
carbon dioxide during the process of
breathing in and breathing out.
 Bronchus / bronchi (bronchi/o or bronch/o) –
is a passage or airway in the respiratory
system that conducts air into the lungs.
 Bronchiole (bronchiol/o) – delivers air to the
exchange surfaces of the lungs.
 Pleura (pleur/o) – it includes two thin layers
of tissue the protects and cushion the lungs.
 Lung or air (pneum/o or pneumon/o) – is to
move fresh air into your body while removing
waste gases.
 Lung (pulmon/o) –

 chest (thorac/o) – it allows exchanging

oxygen and carbon dioxide. Control of
breathing.
SUFFIXES
 -algia = pain
 -dynia = pain
 -ectasis = dilation, eexpansion
 -osis = abnormal condition
 -osmia = smell
 -oxia = oxygen
 -phagia = swallowing, eating
 -pnea = breathing
 -spasm = involuntary contraction, twitching
 -thorax = chest s

THORACENTESIS – is a procedure in which a needle is

inserted into the pleural space between the lungs and
the chest wall.

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM:
FUNCTIONAL AND STRUCTURAL TERMS
 External openings of the nose are
referred to as nostrils or nares (singular:
naris).
 Nas/o/gastr/ic refers to the nose and
stomach.
 This term is used to describe procedures
and devices associated with the nose
and the stomach, such as nas/o/gastr/ic
feeding and nas/ogastr/ic tube, you will
know it refers to a device inserted into
the nose and into the stomach.
 The term tube is used in association with
a medical procedure, it usually refers to
a catheter. A catheter is a hollow,
flexible into a vessel or body cavity. It
purpose is to withdraw or instill fluids
into a body cavity of vessel.
 A pharyng/eal suction catheter is a rigid
tube used to suction the pharynx when
the physician perfoms a visual
examination or therapeutic procedure of
the throat (pharynx)
BRONCHIAL TREE
  Bronchi/itis – inflammation of bronchi
 Bronch/o/spasm – involuntary contraction or
twitching of the bronchus
 Bronch/o/stenosis – narrowing or stricture of
bronchi.
 Erythr/o/cytes – medical term for red blood
cells
 Thorac/o/tomy – incision of the chest
 Thorac/o/centesis – surgical puncture of the
MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY chest
IN RESPIRATORY SYSTEM  Phren/o- refers to mind
 Phren/o/logy – is the study of the mind
 Chondr/o/plasty – is a surgical repair of
 Phren/o/ptosis – refers to a prolapse or
cartilage.
downward displacement of the diaphragm.
 Chondr/o/pathy – disease of cartilage
 Phren/o/spasm – involuntary contraction or
 Chondr/oma – tumor of cartilage
twitching of the diaphragm also known as
 Cartilage – the trachea’s cartilaginous provide
hiccups.
rigidity to keep air passage open all times.
 A/pnea – without breathing
(chondr/o refers to cartilage)
 Dys/pnea – painful or difficult breathing
 Trache/o/stomy - is perform through the
 Eu- good or normal
neck into the trachea to gain access below
 -pnea – breathing
the blockage.
 Eu/pnea – is normal breathing
 Trache/o/pathy – disease of the trachea
 Orth/o/pnea – is a condition in which there is
 Trache/o/plasty – surgical repair of the
labored breathing in any posture except in
trachea
the erect sitting or standing position.
 Trache/o/stenosis- narrowing of stricture of
 Inspiration or inhalation – into the lungs
the trachea
 Expiration or exhalation – out of the lungs
 Trache/o/tomy – incision of the trachea
 Inter/cost/al – during inspiration, the
 Trache/o/laryng/o/tomy – is an incision of
diaphragm and the inter/cost/al muscles
the trachea andn larynx
contract. As their implies the muscles
 Bronchi – is plural form
between adjacent ribs.
 Bronchus – is singular form
 Descends – during inspiration the diaphragm
 Pneumon/o/cele – herniation of the lungs
descends
 Pneumon/osis – abnormal condition of the
 Ascends – during expiration the diaphragm
lungs
ascends
 Pneumon/o/pathy - disease of the lung
 Aer/o – air
 Pneumon/o/ectomy – excision of lung
 Aer/o/phobia – fear of air
 Pneum/o/centesis – surgical puncture to
 -oles – small or minute
aspirate the lung
 PCP – pneumocystis pneumon/ia
 Pneumon/o/melan/osis – is abnormal
 Pneumocystis pneumon/ia – is closely
condition of black lung caused by inhalation
associated with a compromised immune
of black dust (can be called
system particularly in patients with acquired
pneumomelanosis or pneumoconiosis)
immunodeficiency syndrome.
 O2 – oxygen
 Pneumocystis pneumo/ia – is caused by a
 CO2 – carbon dioxide
fungus the resides in or on the normal flora.
 Bronch/o/spasm – asthmatic patients may
 AIDS – acquired immunodeficiency
experience wheezing caused by bronch/ial
 Pneumocystis pneumonia – is a type of
spasm. is a reversible narrowing of the
pneumonia seen in patients with AIDs
airways in response to a stimulus.
 Bronchi/ectasis – chronic dilation of bronchi.
 COPD – is a group of respiratory disorders, is  Tubercles – is derived from small lesions that
characterized by chronic , partial obstruction appear in the lungs .
of the bronchi and lungs.
 COPD – asthma, chronic bronch/it is, and COPD – chronic bronchitis with inflamed
emphys/ema airways and excessive mucus.
 COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary EMPHYSEMA – with distended bronchioles
disease and alveoli
 Emphys/ema – is a chronic disease Asthma – is a narrowed bronchial tubes and
characterized by overexpansion and swollen mucus membranes.
destruction of the alveoli, and is commonly the process of gas exchange between the
associated with cigarette smoking. atmosphere and body cells is called
 Hem/o/phobia – fear of blood respiration.
 Muc/o – mucus
 Myc/o – fungus External respiration occurs each time we
 Pneumon/o/ - lungs inhale (breath in air). This process results in
 Pneumon/o/myc/osis – Obsolete term gas exchange (O2 loading and CO2 unloading)
denoting any disease of the lungs caused by between air -filled chambers of the lungs and
the presence of fungi. the blood in the pulmonary capillaries
 Chronic bronch/itis – is an inflammation of
the bronchi that persist for a long time.
Internal (cellular) respiration is exchange of
 Brochi/al – pertaining to the bronchi
gases (O2 unloading and CO2 loading)
 Bronch/itis- inflammation of the bronchi
between the blood and body tissues cells.
 Pneumon/ia – is a lung inflammation caused This process occurs in body tissues when CO2
by bacteria, a virus, or chemical irritants. (carried in blood from the lungs to nourish
 Bronch/o/pneumon/ia - is a type of the body’s cell) is exchanged for CO2. The CO2
pneumonia that causes inflammation in the travels in the bloodstream to the lungs and is
alveoli. exhaled through mouth or nose.
 Alveoli – clusters of air at the end of the
bronchi/al tree
 External respiration – gas exchange between
the body and the outside environment
 Internal respiration- gas exchange at the
cellular level between the blood and body
tissue calls
 Pneumon/ia – is an acute inflammation and
infection of the lung
 Pneumon/itis – is an inflammation of the
lungs
 Pneumon/ectomy – excision of the lung
 Dys/pnea – is an asthma respiratory
condition characterized by recurrent attacks
of labored or difficult breathing accompanied
by wheezing.
 Metastasize or metastasis – when a cancer
CA spreads to other parts of the body.
 Tuberculosis – an infectious disease,
produces small lesions, or tubercles, it the
lungs.