Many terms frequently used in science and medicine
are derived from latin words. By combining the root
words with, prefixes and suffixes many of the meanings
of the terms can be deciphered.
Use the following resources to better understand
medical terms:
| abdomen |
area between the chest and the hips
that contains the stomach, small intestine, large
intestine, liver, pancreas and spleen |
| abdominoscopy |
type of surgery that uses a laparascope
which is inserted into one or more small incisions |
| ablation |
elimination or removal |
| absorption |
the way substances pass into tissue
as nutrients from food move from the small intestine
into the cells of the body |
| accessory movement
|
joint movements that cannot be performed
voluntarily |
| accomodation |
ability to focus eyes |
| acetylcholine |
chemical in the brain that acts
as a neurotransmitter |
| acquired deafness
|
loss of hearing that occurs or develops
after birth |
| action tremor
|
a tremor that increases when the
hand is moving voluntarily |
| adenocarcinoma |
a cancer that develops in the lining
or inner surface of an organ |
| adenoma |
benign growth starting in glandular
tissue |
| adjuvant treatment
|
treatment that is added to other
therapies to increase effectiveness |
| adrenal cortex
|
outer portion of adrenal gland |
| advanced cancer
|
stage of cancer in chich the disease
has spread from the primary site to other parts
of the body |
| aerophagia |
condition that occurs when a person
swallows too much air (causes gas and belching) |
| aguesia |
loss of taste sense |
| akinesia |
no movement |
| alactasia |
inherited condition involving the
lack of the enzyme needed to digest milk |
| alimentary canal
|
digestive tube |
| allodynia |
non-painful stimuli to evoke pain |
| allogenic bone
marrow transplantation |
a procedure in which a person receives
stem cells from a compatible donor |
| alternative medicine
|
any form of therapy used alone |
| amenorrhea |
absence or cessation of menstrual
periods |
| amyloidosis |
a rare disease which causes the
build-up of amyloid, a protein and starch, in
tissues and organs |
| androgen |
a hormone that promotes the development
and maintenance of male sex characteristics |
| anesthesia |
loss of feeling or sensation as
a result of drug or gases |
| anesthetics |
drugs that cause loss of sensation
to pain or awareness |
| angiotensin-converting
enzyme inhibitor |
a medication that lowers blood pressure |
| anosmia |
absence of the sense of smell |
| antibiotic |
chemical substances, produced by
living organisms or synthesized in laboratories
for the purpose of killing other organisms that
cause disease |
| anticholinergics |
medicines that calm muscle spasms
in the intestines |
| anticoagulant |
keeps blood from clotting |
| antidiarrheals |
medicines that help control diarrhea |
| antiemetic |
drug that prevents or relieves nausea
and vomiting |
| antihistamine |
group of drugs that block the effects
of histamine |
| antihypertensive |
medication or therapy that lowers
blood pressure |
| anti-inflammatory
|
reuce the signs of swelling or inflamation |
| antioxidants |
compounds that protect against cell
damage |
| aorta |
blook vessel that delivers oxygen-rich
blood to the body |
| aortic valve
|
valve that regulates the flow of
blood from the heart into the aorta |
| apex |
top |
| aphasia |
loss of speech |
| aphonia |
loss of voice |
| areola |
dark skin around the nipple |
| artery |
blood vessel that carries blood
away from the heart |
| arthralgia |
pain in joint |
| arthroplasty |
joint replacement
|
| artificial ventilation
|
process of supporting breathing
by manual or mechanical means |
| atherectomy |
procedure that removes plaque from
the inside of arteries |
| atherosclerosis |
build up of plaque in the inner
lining of an artery |
| artesia |
lack of opening |
| atrium |
upper chambers in the heart |
| atrophy |
a decline in tissue or body part,
following period of disuse or immobility |
| atypical |
abnormal |
| augmentative
devices |
tools that help people communicate
that have limited speech or communication abilities |
| autoimmune process
|
process where the body's immune system attacks
and destroys tissue that it mistakes as foreign
|
| autologous transplant
|
a procedure where patients bone
marrow is removed and treated, then returned tot
he patient |
| autopsy |
examination of body after death |
| avascular necrosis
|
death of tissue due to poor blood
supply |
| avulsion |
when a muscle is extended beyond
its freely available range of motion |
| axilla |
armpit |
| axillary dissection
|
procedure in which lymph nodes are
removed from the armpit and examined |
| axon |
hair like extension of a nerve cell
that carries the message to a nearby nerve cell |
