🧬
Medical Terminology & Anatomy
Foundations · Beginner · 1 lessons
0% complete
📘
Roots, prefixes, suffixes & body systems
14 min read
Medical terms decode from the suffix backwards: suffix (condition/procedure), then prefix (position/number/negation), then the root and combining vowel (body part). Anatomy knowledge drives code selection — laterality, approach and anatomic site are all coding decisions.
- ✓cardi/o heart · nephr/o kidney · hepat/o liver · oste/o bone · gastr/o stomach · pneum/o lung or air.
- ✓-itis inflammation · -ectomy removal · -ostomy new opening · -otomy incision · -plasty repair · -scopy visual exam.
- ✓hyper- above normal · hypo- below normal · peri- around · endo- within · trans- across.
- ✓Body planes: sagittal, coronal (frontal), transverse; positions: proximal/distal, anterior/posterior, superior/inferior.
🗂️
Flashcards
Tap a card to flip
🧾
Case studies
Apply the guidelines to real documentation
Decoding an op title
Operative report title: 'Laparoscopic cholecystectomy with intraoperative cholangiography.'
What was performed?
🧠
Knowledge check
3 questions
1. What does 'nephrolithiasis' describe?
2. A 'colostomy' is:
3. 'Pericarditis' means inflammation of:
Verify all coding decisions against current official guidelines.