7 Terminology of the Digestive, Urinary, and Reproductive Systems Free Online FlashCards

What is a practical order for decoding a medical term?

Identify the suffix first, then the root or roots, and finally any prefix; combine the meanings and check that they fit the context.

What does the medical suffix -itis mean?

The suffix -itis means inflammation.

Which roots mean “mouth”?

The roots or/o and stomat/o refer to the mouth.

What distinguishes -stomy from -otomy and -ectomy?

In colostomy, col/o means colon and -stomy means creation of an opening. By contrast, -otomy means incision and -ectomy means removal.

What body structure do nephr/o and ren/o identify?

Both nephr/o and ren/o mean kidney.

How do cystitis and cystoscopy differ?

Cystitis is bladder inflammation; cystoscopy is visual examination of the bladder. The suffix changes the term’s meaning.

What does dysuria mean?

Dysuria means painful or difficult urination.

What do hyster/o and uter/o mean?

Hyster/o and uter/o mean uterus; a hysterectomy is surgical removal of the uterus.

How do salpingectomy and salpingitis differ?

Salpingectomy is surgical removal of a uterine tube; salpingitis is inflammation of a uterine tube.

What does the abbreviation GU mean?

GU means genitourinary, referring to the urinary and reproductive organs.

What does hepat/o mean?

The root hepat/o means liver; hepatitis is inflammation of the liver.

What does pyel/o mean?

The root pyel/o means renal pelvis.