Medical

Terminology

The basic of
medical
By

terminology
Madarina Julia
E. Suryadi
What are we going to
discuss in this session?

ABREVIATIONS IN MEDICAL
TERMINOLOGY
SINGULAR-PLURAL
CLINICAL TERMS/ PHRASES
etc.
Abbreviations
1. Measurements
2. Chemical
3. Diagnoses
4. Procedures
5. Health Professions
6. Charting
 Abbreviations
Measurements
g or gm gram
mcg microgram
tsp teaspoon
kcal calorie
mMol/L mMol per liter
g/dL gram per deciliter
mg% miligram percent
BMI body mass index
 Abbreviation
s
Chemical
O2 (oxygen)
CO2 (carbon dioxide)
NaCl (sodium chloride)
RL (Ringer Lactate)
K (potassium)
 Abbreviations
Diagnoses
CP (cerebral palsy)
AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome)
ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia)
CVA (cerebrovascular accident)
CVD (cardiovascular disease)
DHF (Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever)
 Abbreviations
Procedures (1)
radiology
IVP: intravenous pyelography
ECG: electrocardiography
USG: ultrasonography
MRI: magnetic resonance imaging
CT-SCAN (CAT-SCAN): computerized
axial tomography scanning
 Abbreviations
Procedures (2)
laboratory
2 hr pp (2 hour post prandial
blood glucose)
LDH (lactic dehydrogenase)
CK (creatine kinase)
LFT (liver function test)
RFT (renal function test)
 Abbreviations
Health professions
MD (medical doctor)
ENT (ear, nose, throat)
OB (obstetry)
GYN (gynecology)
 Abbreviations
Charting
ex/ exam (examination)
Dx (diagnosis)
Tx (treatment)
Rx (prescribe)
BP (blood pressure)
iv (intravenous)
OS (oculus sinister, left eye)
tid (tri in die, thrice a day)
Rules for commonly forming
plurals

ending change to
is es
um a
us i
a ae
ex/ix ices
 Examples of
plurals
SINGULAR is to es
PLURAL
anastomosis anastomoses
metastasis metastases
epiphysis epiphyses
prosthesis prostheses
 Examples of
plurals
SINGULAR um PLURAL
to a
bacterium bacteria
diverticulum diverticula
ovum ova
 Examples of
plurals
SINGULAR us PLURAL
to i
calculus calculi
bronchus bronchi
bronchiolus bronchioli
nucleus nuclei
 Examples of
plurals
a to ae
SINGULAR PLURAL
vertebra vertebrae
bursa bursae
bulla bullae
 Examples of
plurals
SINGULAR
ix or ex to ices
PLURAL

apex apices
varix varices
Clinical Terms/ Phrases
anamnesis: history of
symptoms
examination: physical
examination of signs
diagnosis
therapy/ treatment
prognosis
 diagnosis/diseases
(1)
related
inflammation: to organ
rhinopharyngitis, cystitis
system/
tumor/ cancer: tissue
hepatocellular carcinoma,
osteosarcoma, melanoma maligna,
neurofibromatosis
condition: mitral stenosis, arteriosclerosis,
nephrolithiasis, dysenteri, hemothorax
syndrome: nephrotic syndrome,
hepatorenal syndrome, AIDS
 diagnosis/diseases
(2)
organism: related to the

causing factors
Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF)
Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS)
Chikungunya Fever
Diphteria (C. diphteriae)
Tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis)
toxin:
tetanus (tetanin C. tetani)
botulism (botulinum C. botulinum)
 diagnosis/diseases (3)
named after the person
signs:
who found it
Kussmaul respiration
Biot respiration
Spleen Schuffner 1-8
disease:
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Becker muscular dystrophy
Hashimoto disease
Graves disease
Neurofibromatosis von Recklinghausen
 therapy/
treatment
Causative/ Curative: address the cause
of the disease aimed at curing the
disease

Symptomatic/Palliative: address the

symptoms of the disease aimed at
making the patients feel better

Ex juvantivus: a try out

 surgical
tomy (to cut):procedures
pyloromyotomi, osteotomi
stomy (to make an opening):
tracheostomy, nephrostomy, ileostomy
ectomy (resection= to cut out):
nephrectomy, splenectomy, gastrectomy
rraphy (to sew): herniorrhaphy,
palatorraphy
incision vs. excision
 prognosi
dubia ad malam
s
dubia ad bonam
five years survival rate of 80%
fatality rate
remission rate
cure rate
 other
acute vs. chronic
terms
degree of consciousness: compos
mentis, lethargy, stupor, sopor,
soporocomatous, coma
shock
headache/ cephalgia: tension
headache, cluster headache, migraine,
vertigo
 Aware of spelling and
pronunciation problem
pronounced alike different spelling
may give wrong diagnosis

CYSTITIS vs. CYTOSIS

ILEUM vs. ILIUM

HEPATOMA vs. HEMATOMA

 Aware of spelling and
pronunciation problem
similar pronunciation

URETER vs. URETHRA

ureteritis
urethritis
 diminutive suffix (1)

culus
venter ventriculus, ventricle
vasa vasculus
vesica vesiculus, vesicle
olus
arteria arteriole
alveus -- alveolus
 diminutive suffix (2)

ulus
calcis calculus
globus globulus, globule
illa
fibril -fibrilla
ellum
cerebrum - cerebellum
 Further Readings
Chabner DE. The Language of
Medicine. W.B. Saunders Company,
1981
Dunmore CW, Fleischer RM. Medical
Terminology. Exercises in Etymology,
2nd ed. F.A Davis Company, 1985
Dennerll JT. Medical Terminology. A
Programmed Text, 5th ed. John Wiley &
Sons, Inc., 1988