Unit 2

Surgical Suffixes, Hematology, and

Diagnostic Imaging
Presented by: Mrs. Joneshia Bryan-Thomas,  MSc, Dip. Ed., BSc (MT), A.Sc.,
Assistant Professor
Joneshia.bryan-thomas@ncu.edu.jm 

Department of Medical Technology

Northern Caribbean University, Manchester Road, Mandeville
Jamaica, West Indies
Office (876-963-7805) or (876-963-7125)

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 Surgical Terminology
• Surgery
– Important medical treatment tool
– Procedures include:
• Incision
• Excision
• Repair
• Replacement

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 Surgical Terminology
• Surgery
– Procedures include:
• Destruction
• Ablation
• Cauterization
• Introduction
• Dilation

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 Surgical Suffixes
• Origin
– Greek
– tomos = cut
– Examples:
• -tome = instrument used to cut slices
• -tomy = cut into, incise, or incision
• -ectomy = cut out, remove, excise, or excision
• -ostomy = cut a new surgical opening

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 Building Words with Surgical
Suffixes
• Examples:
– derma/tome = instrument to cut slices of skin
– gastr/o/tomy = incision into stomach
– duoden/ectomy = removal of duodenum
– col/ostomy = creating opening in colon

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 Building Words with Surgical
Suffixes
• One word root with various procedures
• Examples:
– gastr/ectomy = removal of all or part of stomach
– gastr/o/tomy = incision into stomach
– gastr/ostomy = surgical opening in stomach

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 Building Words with Surgical
Suffixes
• One word root with various procedures
• Examples:
– col/ectomy = removal of all or part of colon
– col/o/tomy = incision into colon
– col/ostomy = surgical opening in colon

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 Building Words with Surgical
Suffixes
• Two word roots with various procedures
• Examples:
– gastr/o/duoden/ectomy = removal of all or part of
stomach and duodenum
– gastr/o/duoden/o/tomy = incision into stomach and
duodenum
– gastr/o/duoden/ostomy = surgical openings in stomach
and duodenum

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Building Words with Surgical
Suffixes

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 Diagnostic Imaging
• Method of creating visual representations of
body structures or functions
• Imaging suffixes include:
– -gram = picture or record
– -graph = instrument to record image of data
– -graphy = process of recording image of data

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 Building Words with Imaging
Suffixes
• Examples:
– electr/o/cardi/o/gram = record of electrical impulses given
off by heart
– electr/o/cardi/o/graph = instrument for recording
electrical impulses given off by heart
– electr/o/cardi/o/graphy = process of recording electrical
impulses given off by heart

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 Tomography
• tom/o = combining form for cut
• -graphy = process of recording image of data
• tom/o/graphy = radiographic procedure using
x-rays to produce images of slices or planes of
the body

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 Tomography Procedures
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• Computed tomography (CT) scan
– Also known as CAT scan
• Positron emission tomography (PET) scan
• Single photon emission computed tomography
(SPECT)

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 MRI

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 CAT Scan

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 PET Scan

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 Imaging Combining Forms
• son/o = sound
• Examples:
– son/o/gram = picture made with ultrasound waves
– son/o/graphy = process of making images with ultrasound
waves
– son/o/grapher = person who performs ultrasonography

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 Imaging Combining Forms
• ech/o = sound made by reflected sound waves
• Examples:
– ech/o/cardi/o/gram = record of sound waves reflected
through heart
– ech/o/cardi/o/graphy = process of making echocardiogram
– ech/o/cardi/o/grapher = person who takes image

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 Imaging Combining Forms
• radi/o = radiation or x-rays
• Examples:
– radi/o/graph = picture made using x-rays
– radi/o/gram = picture made using x-rays
– radi/o/grapher = person who takes x-rays
– radi/o/logist = physician specialist who interprets x-rays

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Word Parts for Colors
leuk/o white
melan/o black (dark)
erythr/o red
cyan/o blue
chlor/o green
xanth/o yellow
jaundice = reflection of
bright yellow in blood

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 Building Words With Color
• Examples:
– leuk/o/derma = unusually white skin
• Also known as vitiligo
– melan/o/derma = abnormally dark pigmented skin
– erythr/o/derma = red skin
– cyan/o/derma = blue skin
– xanth/o/derma = yellow skin

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Structures of the Skin

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 Animation

Click Here to Play Skin Animation

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 Building Words With Color
• Examples:
– melan/o/cyte = black cell
– melan/o/blast = black embryonic cell
– acr/o/cyan/osis = condition of blueness of extremities
– erythr/o/dermat/itis = reddened, inflamed skin condition

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 Hematology
• hemat/o = blood
• Examples:
– hemat/o/logy = study of blood
– hemat/o/logist = one who studies blood
– hemat/o/pathy = disease of blood

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 Blood Conditions
• -emia = blood condition
• Examples:
– an/emia = lack of blood
– xanth/emia = excess carotene in blood
• Yellow
– erythr/emia = abnormally red blood
– chlor/emia = increased chlorine in blood
• Green

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 Cells
• Smallest structural units of all living things
• cyt/o = combining form for cell
• -cyte = suffix for cell

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 Cells
• Examples:
– cyt/o/logy = study of cells
– cyt/o/logist = one who studies cells
– cyt/o/meter = instrument used to count cells
– cyt/o/metry = process of counting cells
– cyt/o/techn/o/logist = technician who prepares slides

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 White Blood Cells (WBCs)
• leuk/o/cyte = WBC
• Examples:
– leuk/o/cyt/o/penia = decrease in or lack of WBCs
– leuk/emia = condition of WBCs
• Blood cancer
– leuk/o/cyt/osis = increase in WBCs

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 Red Blood Cells (RBCs)
• erythr/o/cyte = RBC
• Examples:
– erythr/o/cyt/o/penia = decrease in or lack of RBCs
– erythr/o/blast = immature RBC
– erythr/o/cyt/osis = high numbers of erythrocytes
– erythr/emia = abnormally red blood due to too many
erythrocytes

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 Blood-Clotting Cells
• thromb/o/cyte = blood-clotting cell
– Also known as platelet
• Examples:
– thromb/o/cyt/osis = increase in number of thrombocytes
– thromb/o/cyt/o/penia = abnormal decrease in number of
thrombocytes

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 Lymphatic System
• Series of lymph vessels, nodes, and organs
• Purpose:
– Circulate tissue fluids, absorb fats from intestine, and fight
infections
• lymph/o = combining form

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 Lymphatic System
• Examples:
– lymph/o/cyte = type of WBC produced by lymphatic
system
– lymph/edema = fluid accumulation and swelling caused by
blockages in lymphatic vessels
– acute lymph/o/cy/tic leukemia = disease involving
lymphocytes

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 Animation

Click Here to Play Lymphatic System Animation

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 Tissues
• hist/o = tissue
• Examples:
– hist/o/blast = immature tissue
– hist/o/logy = study of tissues
– hist/o/logist = one who studies tissues
– hist/o/cyte = tissue cell

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 Small Intestine
• Duodenum
– First part of small intestine beyond stomach
• duoden/o = combining form
• Examples:
– duoden/al = pertaining to duodenum
– duoden/itis = inflammation of duodenum
– duoden/ostomy = surgical opening in duodenum

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 Heart
• cardi/o and card/o = combining forms
• Examples:
– cardi/o/logist = physician specialist in diagnosing and
treating heart conditions
– card/itis = inflammation of heart
– electr/o/cardi/o/gram = record of electrical activity of
heart

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 Enlarged
• megal/o = combining form for enlarged
• -megaly = suffix for enlarged
• Examples:
– cardi/o/megaly = enlarged heart sometimes caused by
reduced supply of oxygen
– megal/o/cardia = enlargement or overdevelopment of
heart

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 Enlarged
• Examples:
– megal/o/gastria = enlarged stomach
– gastr/o/megaly = enlarged stomach
– megal/o/mania = mental disorder characterized by
delusions of grandeur
• mania = madness

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 Disease
• -pathy = suffix meaning disease
• path/o = combining form for disease
• Examples:
– path/o/logy = study of disease
– path/o/logist = one who studies disease
– eti/o/logy = study of origin of disease

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 Pain
• -algia = suffix for pain
• Examples:
– cardi/algia = heart pain
– gastr/algia = stomach pain

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 Synonyms
• Some terms can be used with combining forms
or suffixes to express same meaning
• megal/o = enlarged
• -megaly = enlarged
• Examples:
– megal/o/gastria = enlarged stomach
– gastr/o/megaly = enlarged stomach

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 Forming Medical Terms
1. Word root + suffix
– Examples:
• dermat/itis
• cyan/osis
• duoden/al

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 Forming Medical Terms
2. Any number of word roots + suffix
– Examples:
• gastr/o/duoden/ostomy
• gastr/o/duoden/ectomy

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Forming Medical Terms

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 Forming Medical Terms
3. Combining form + suffix
– Examples:
• acr/o/cyan/osis
• leuk/o/cyte

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 Forming Medical Terms
4. Any number of combining forms + word root
+ suffix
– Examples:
• leuk/o/cyt/o/penia
• electr/o/cardi/o/graphy

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 Animation

Click Here to Play Combining Word Roots Animation

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