Universidad Católica de El Salvador

Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud Doctorado en Medicina

Technical English I Section A

Student: Daniela Reneé Diaz Linares; Victor Manuel Ganuza Alcantara; Adriana Abigail Garcia
Rosales

Medical suffixes (-OTOMY, -ECTOMY, -OSTOMY)

-OTOMY: Otomy is a surgical procedure suffix that refers to cutting or making an

incision to a body part, as in a medical operation or procedure. The suffix "-otomy,"
or "-tomy This word part is derived from the Greek -tomia, which means to cut.

Words Ending With: (-otomy)

• Osteotomy (oste-otomy): An osteotomy is a surgical procedure that involves

cutting bone (and sometimes adding bone tissue) to reshape or realign your
bones. There are many surgical techniques and variations of techniques. Your
surgeon will discuss the best option for your specific bone problem to get you
up and moving again with less pain and discomfort.

• Laparotomy (lapar-otomy): incision made into the abdominal wall for the
purpose of examining abdominal organs or diagnosing an abdominal
problem. Organs examined during this procedure may include
the kidneys, liver, spleen, pancreas, appendix, stomach, intestines, and
female reproductive organs.

• Anatomy (ana-tomy): the study of the physical structure of living organisms.

Anatomical dissection is a primary component of this type of biological study.
Anatomy involves the study of macro-structures (heart, brain, kidneys, etc.)
and microstructures (cells, organelles, etc.).

-ECTOMY: The suffix (-ectomy) means to remove or excise, as typically done in a

surgical procedure. used to form nouns referring to an operation to remove a
particular body part or type of tissue from the body.

Words Ending With: (-ectomy)

• Appendectomy (append-ectomy) - surgical removal of the appendix,

typically due to appendicitis. The appendix is a small, tubular organ that
extends from the large intestine.
 • Cardiectomy (cardi-ectomy) - surgical removal of the heart or the excision
of the portion of the stomach known as the cardiac section. The cardiac
section is a part of the esophagus that is connected to the stomach.

• Neurectomy (neur-ectomy) - surgical procedure performed to remove all or

part of a nerve.

-OSTOMY: -ostomy or -stomy is a medical suffix term for “surgically creating a hole”.
refers to a surgical creation of an opening in an organ for the removal of waste.

Words Ending With: (-ostomy)

• Angiostomy (angio-stomy) - surgical opening created in a blood vessel

commonly for the placement of a catheter.

• Tympanostomy (tympan-ostomy) - surgical creation of an opening in the

ear drum to release fluid and relieve pressure. Small tubes called
tympanostomy tubes are surgically placed in the middle ear to facilitate fluid
drainage and equalize pressure. This procedure is also known as a
myringotomy.

• Urostomy (ur-ostomy) - surgically created opening in the abdominal wall for

the purpose of urinary diversion or drainage.