Chapter 7
Clinical Terms Related
to the Skeletal System______
acromegaly (ak″ro-meg′ah-le) Abnormal enlargement of
facial features, hands, and feet in adults as a result of
overproduction of growth hormone.
ankylosis (ang″kĭ-lo′sis) Abnormal stiffness of a joint or
fusion of bones at a joint, often due to damage to the joint
membranes from chronic rheumatoid arthritis.
arthralgia (ar-thral′je-ah) Pain in a joint.
arthrodesis (ar″thro-de′sis) Surgery to fuse the bones at a joint.
arthroplasty (ar′thro-plas″te) Surgery to make a joint more movable.
Colles fracture (kol′ēz frak′cher) Fracture at the distal end of
the radius that displaces the smaller fragment posteriorly.
epiphysiolysis (ep″ĭ-fiz″e-ol′ ĭ-sis) Separation or loosening of
the epiphysis from the diaphysis of a bone.
hemarthrosis(hem″ar-thro′sis) Blood in a joint cavity.
laminectomy (lam″ ĭ-nek′to-me) Surgical removal of the
posterior arch of a vertebra, usually to relieve the symptoms
of a ruptured intervertebral disc.
lumbago (lum-ba′go) Dull ache in the lumbar region of the back.
orthopedics ( or″tho-pe′′diks) Medical specialty that prevents,
diagnoses, and treats diseases and abnormalities of the
skeletal and muscular systems.
ostealgia (os″te-al′je-ah) Pain in a bone.
ostectomy (os-tek′to-me) Surgical removal of a bone.
osteitis (os″te-i′tis) Inflammation of bone tissue.
osteochondritis (os″te-o-kon-dri′tis) Inflammation of bone and
cartilage tissues.
osteogenesis (os″te-o-jen′ĕ-sis) Bone development.
osteogenesis imperfecta (os″te-o-jen′ĕ-sis im-per-
fek′tah) Inherited condition of deformed and abnormally
brittle bones.
osteoma (os″te-o′mah) Tumor composed of bone tissue.
osteomalacia (os″te-o-mah-la′she-ah) Softening of adult bone
due to a disorder in calcium and phosphorus metabolism,
usually caused by vitamin D deficiency.
Chapter 8
Clinical Terms Related
To the Muscular System______
contracture (kon-trak′cher) Condition of great resistance to the
stretch of a muscle.
convulsion (kun-vul′shun) Series of involuntary contractions of
various voluntary muscles.
electromyography (e-lek″tro-mi-og′rah-fe) Technique for
recording electrical changes in muscle tissue.
fibrillation (fi″brĭ-la′shun) Spontaneous contractions of
individual muscle fibers, producing rapid and uncoordinated
activity within a muscle.
fibrosis (fi-bro′sis) Degenerative disease in which fibrous
connective tissue replaces skeletal muscle tissue.
fibrositis (fi″bro-si′tis) Inflammation of fibrous connective
tissues, especially in the muscle fascia. This disease is also
called muscular rheumatism.
muscular dystrophies (mus′ku-lar dis′tro-fez) Group of
inherited disorders in which deficiency of dystrophin or
associated glycoproteins collapses muscle cells, leading to
progressive loss of function.
myalgia (mi-al′je-ah) Pain from any muscular disease or disorder.
myasthenia gravis (mi″as-the′ne-ah gra′vis) Chronic disease
in which muscles are weak and easily fatigued because of
malfunctioning neuromuscular junctions.
myokymia (mi″o-ki′me-ah) Persistent quivering of a muscle.
mycology (mi-ol′o-je) Study of muscles.
myoma (mi-o′mah) Tumor composed of muscle tissue.
myopathy (mi-op′ah-the) Any muscular disease.
myositis (mi″o-si′tis) Inflammation of skeletal muscle tissue.
myotomy (mi-ot′o-me) Cutting of muscle tissue.
myotonia (mi″o-to′ne-ah) Prolonged muscular spasm.
paralysis (pah-ral′ ĭ-sis) Loss of ability to move a body part.
paresis (pah-re′sis) Partial or slight paralysis of muscles.
shin splints (shin splints) Soreness on the front of the leg due
to straining the anterior leg muscles, often as a result of
walking up and down hills.
torticollis (tor″tĭ-kol′is) Condition in which the neck muscles,
such as the sternocleidomastoids, contract involuntarily. It is
more commonly called wryneck.
Chapter 9
Clinical Terms Related
to the Nervous System______
analgesia (an″al-je′ze-ah) Loss or reduction in the ability to
sense pain, but without loss of consciousness.
analgesic (an″al-je′sik) Pain-relieving drug.
anesthesia (an″es-the′ze-ah) Loss of feeling.
aphasia (ah-fa′ze-ah) Disturbance or loss of the ability to use
words or to understand them, usually due to damage to
cerebral association areas.
apraxia (ah-prak′se-ah) Impairment in the ability to use objects.
ataxia (ah-tak′se-ah) Partial or complete inability to coordinate
voluntary movements.
cerebral palsy (ser′ĕ-bral pawl′ze) Partial paralysis and lack of
muscular coordination caused by damage to the cerebrum.
coma (ko′mah) Unconscious condition in which a person does
not respond to stimulation.
cordotomy (kor-dot′o-me) Surgical procedure that severs a
nerve tract within the spinal cord to relieve intractable pain.
craniotomy (kra″ne-ot′o-me) Surgical procedure that opens part
of the skull.
electroencephalogram (EEG) (e-lek″tro-en-sef′ah-lo-gram″)
Recording of the brain’s electrical activity.
encephalitis (en″sef-ah-li′tis) Inflammation of the brain and
meninges, producing drowsiness and apathy.
epilepsy (ep′ ĭ-lep″se) Disorder of the central nervous system
that temporarily disturbs brain impulses, producing
convulsive seizures and loss of consciousness.
hemiplegia (hem″ĭ-ple′je-ah) Paralysis of one side of the body
and the limbs on that side.
Huntington disease (hunt′ing-tun diz-ēz′) Inherited disorder
of the brain causing involuntary, dancelike movements and
personality changes.
laminectomy (lam″ĭ-nek′to-me) Surgical removal of the
posterior arch of a vertebra, usually to relieve the symptoms
of a ruptured intervertebral disc pressing on a spinal nerve.
monoplegia (mon″o-ple′je-ah) Paralysis of a single limb.
multiple sclerosis (mul′tĭ-pl skle-ro′sis) Loss of myelin and
the appearance of scarlike patches throughout the brain or
spinal cord or both.
neuralgia (nu-ral′je-ah) Sharp, recurring pain associated with a
nerve; usually caused by inflammation or injury.
neuritis (nu-ri′tis) Inflammation of a nerve.
paraplegia (par″ah-ple′je-ah) Paralysis of both lower limbs.
quadriplegia (kwod″rĭ-ple′je-ah) Paralysis of all four limbs.
vagotomy (va-got′o-me) Surgical severing of a vagus nerve-for
example, to reduce acid secretion in a patient with ulcers
nonresponsive to other treatment.
Chapter 10
Clinical Terms Related to the Senses______
amblyopia (am″ble-o′pe-ah) Dim vision not due to a refractive
disorder or lesion.
anopia (an-o′pe-ah) Absence of an eye.
audiometry (aw″de-om′ĕ-tre) Measurement of auditory acuity
for various frequencies of sound waves.
blepharitis (blef″ah-ri′tis) Inflammation of the eyelid margins.
causalgia (kaw-zal′je-ah) Persistent, burning pain usually
associated with injury to a limb. Also called neuropathic pain.
conjunctivitis (kon-junk″tĭ-vi′tis) Inflammation of the
conjuctiva.
diplopia (dĭ-plo′pe-ah) Double vision.
emmetropia (em″ĕ-tro′pe-ah) Normal condition of the eyes;
eyes with no refractive defects.
enucleation (e-nu″kle-a′shun) Removal of the eyeball.
exophthalmos (ek″sof-thal′mos) Abnormal protrusion of the eyes.
hemianopsia (hem″e-an-op′se-ah) Defective vision affecting
half of the visual field.
hyperalgesia (hi″per-al-je′ze-ah) Heightened sensitivity to pain.
iridectomy (ir″ĭ-dek′to-me) Surgical removal of part of the iris.
iritis (i-ri′tis) Inflammation of the iris.
keratisis (ker″ah-ti′tis) Inflammation of the cornea.
labyrinthectomy (lab″ĭ-rin-thek′to-me) Surgical removal of the
labyrinth.
labyrinthitis (lab″ĭ-rin-thi′tis) Inflammation of the labyrinth.
Ménière’s disease (men″ārz′ dĭ-zēz′) Inner ear disorder that
causes ringing in the ears, increased sensitivity to sounds,
dizziness, and hearing loss.
neuralgia (nu-ral′je-ah) Pain resulting from inflammation of a
nerve or a group of nerves.
neuritis (nu-ri′tis) Inflammation of a nerve.
nystagmus (nis-tag′mus) Involuntary oscillation of the eyes.
otitis media (o-ti′tis me′de-ah) Inflammation of the middle ear.
otosclerosis (o″to-skle-ro′sis) Formation of a spongy bone in the
inner ear, which often causes deafness by fixing the stapes
to the oval window.
pterygium (tĕ-rij′e-um) Abnormally thickened patch of
conjunctiva that extends over part of the cornea.
retinitis pigmentosa (ret″ĭ-ni′tis pig″ment-to′sa) Inherited,
progressive retinal sclerosis characterized by pigment
deposits in the retina and by retinal atrophy.
retinoblastoma (ret″ĭ-no-blas-to′mah) Inherited, highly
malignant tumor arising from immature retinal cells.
tinnitus (tĭ-ni′tus) Ringing or buzzing in the ears.
trachoma (trah-ko′mah) Bacterial disease of the eye that causes
conjunctivitis, which may lead to blindness.
tympanoplasty (tim″pah-no-plas′te) Surgical reconstruction of
the middle ear bones and the establishment of continuity
from the eardrum to the oval window.
uveitis (u″ve-i′tis) Inflammation of the uvea, the region of the
eye that includes the iris, ciliary body, and choroid coat.
vertigo (ver′tĭ-go) Sensation of dizziness.
Chapter 11
Clinical Terms Related
to the Endocrine System______
adrenalectomy (ah-dre″nah-lek′ti-me) Surgical removal of the
adrenal glands.
adrenogenital syndrome (ah-dre″no-jen′ĭ-tal sin′drōm) A
group of symptoms associated with changes in sexual
characteristics as a result of increased secretion of adrenal
androgens.
diabetes insipidus (di″ah-be′tēz in-sip′ ĭdus) Large output of
dilute urine caused by the posterior pituitary’s decreased
secretion of antidiuretic hormone.
diabetes mellitus (di″ah-be′tēz mel′i-tus) Condition due to
insulin deficiency or the inability to respond to insulin that
disturbs carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolism.
exophthalmia (ek″sof-thal′mē-ah) Abnormal protrusion of the
eyes.
goiter (goi′ter) Bulge in the neck resulting from an enlarged
thyroid gland.
hirsutism (her′sūt-izm) Excess hair growth, especially in
women.
hypercalcemia (hi″per-kal-se′me-ah) Excess blood calcium.
hyperglycemia(hi″per-gli-se′me-ah) Excess blood glucose.
hypocalcemia(hi″po-kal-se′me-ah) Low blood calcium.
hypoglycemia (hi″po-gli-se′me-ah) Low blood glucose.
hypophysectomy (hi-pof″ĭ-sek′to-me) Surgical removal of the
pituitary gland.
parathyroidectomy (par″ah-thi″roi-dek′to-me) Surgical removal
of the parathyroid glands.
pheochromocytoma (fe-o-kro″mo-si-to′mah) Type of tumor in
the adrenal medulla.
thymectomy (thi-mek′to-me) Surgical removal of the thymus.
thyroidectomy (thi″roi-dek′to-me) Surgical removal of the
thyroid gland.
thyroiditis (thi″roi-di′tis) Inflammation of the thyroid gland.
virilism (vir′ ĭ-lizm) Masculinization of a female.
Chapter 12
Clinical Terms Related
to the Blood______
anisocytosis(an-i″so-si-to′sis) Abnormal variation in the size of
erythrocytes.
antihemophilic plasma (an″ti-he″mo-fil′ik plaz′mah) Normal
blood plasma that has been processed to preserve an
antihemophilic factor.
citrated whole blood (sit′rāt-ed hōl blud) Normal blood to
which a solution of acid citrate has been added to prevent
coagulation.
dried plasma (drīd plaz′mah) Normal blood plasma that
has been vacuum-dried to prevent the growth of
microorganisms.
hemorrhagic telangiectasia (hem″o-raj′ik tel-an″je-ek-ta′ze-ah)
Inherited tendency to bleed from localized lesions of the
capillaries.
heparinized whole blood (hep′er-ĭ-nīzd″ hōl blud) Normal
blood to which a solution of heparin has been added to
prevent coagulation.
macrocytosis (mak″ro-si-to′sis) Abnormally large erythrocytes.
microcytosis (mi″kro-si-to′sis) Abnormally small erythrocytes.
neutrophilia (nu″tro-fil′e-ah) Increase in the number of
circulation neutrophils.
packed red cells Concentrated suspension of red blood cells
from which the plasma has been removed.
pancytopenia (pan″su-to-pe′ne-ah) Abnormal depression of all
the cellular components of blood.
poikilocytosis (poi″kĭ-lo-si-to′sis) Irregularly shaped
erythrocytes.
purpura (per′pu-rah) Spontaneous bleeding into the tissues and
through the mucous membranes.
septicemia (sep″ti-se′me-ah) Growth of disease-causing
microorganisms or presence of their toxins in the blood.
spherocytosis (sfēr″o-si-to′sis) Hemolytic anemia caused by
defective proteins supporting the cell membranes of red
blood cells. the cells are abnormally spherical.
thalassemia (thal″ag-se′me-ah) Group of hereditary hemolytic
anemias resulting from very thin, fragile erythrocytes.
Chapter 13
Clinical Terms Related to
the Cardiovascular System______
anastomosis (ah-nas″to-mo′sis) Connection between two blood
vessels, sometimes produced surgically.
angiospasm (an′je-o-spazm″) Muscular spasm in the wall of a
blood vessel.
arteriography (ar″te-re-og′rah-fe) Injection of radiopaque
solution into the vascular system for X-ray examination of
arteries.
asystole (a-sis′to-le) Failure of the myocardium to contract.
cardiac tamponade (kar′de-ak tam″po-nād′) Compression of the
heart by fluid accumulation within the pericardial cavity.
congestive heart failure (kon-jes′tiv hart fāl′yer) Inability of the
left ventricle to pump adequate blood to cells.
cor pulmonale (kor pul-mon-na′le) Pulmonary hypertension and
hypertrophy of the right ventricle.
embolectomy (em″bo-lek′to-me) Removal of an embolus
through an incision in a blood vessel.
endarterectomy (en″dar-ter-ek′to-me) Removal of the inner wall
of an artery to reduce an arterial occlusion.
palpitation (pal″pĭ-ta′shun) Awareness of a heartbeat that is
unusually rapid, strong, or irregular.
pericardiectomy (per″ĭ-kar″de-ek′to-me) Excision of the
pericardium.
phlebitis (flĕ-bi′tis) Inflammation of a vein, usually in the lower
limbs.
phlebotomy (flĕ-bot′o-me) Incision or puncture of a vein to
withdraw blood.
sinus rhythm (si′nus rithm) The normal cardiac rhythm
regulated by the S-A node.
thrombophlebitis (throm″bo-flĕ-bi′tis) Formation of a blood
clot in a vein in response to inflammation of the venous wall.
valvotomy (val-vot′o-me) Incision of a valve.
venography (ve-nog′rah-fe) Injection of radiopaque solution
into the vascular system for X-ray examination of veins.
Chapter 14
Clinical Terms Related to the
Lymphatic system and Immunity______
allograft (al′o-graft) Transplantation of tissue from an individual
of one species to another individual of the same species.
asplenia (ah-sple′ne-ah) Absence of a spleen.
autograft (aw′to-graft) Transplantation of tissue from one part
of the body to another part of the same body.
immunocompentence (im″u-no-kom′pe-tens) Ability to produce
an immune response to antigens.
immunodeficiency (im″u-no-de-fish′en-se) Inability to produce
an immune response.
lymphadenectomy (lim-fad″ĕ-nek′to-me) Surgical removal of
lymph nodes.
lymphadenopathy (lim-fad″ĕ-nop′ah-the) Enlargement of lymph
nodes.
lymphadenotomy (lim-fad″ĕ-not′o-me) Incision of a lymph node.
lymphocytopenia (lim″fo-si″to-pe′ne-ah) Too few lymphocytes
in the blood.
lymphocytosis (lim″fo-si″to′sis) Too many lymphocytes in the
blood.
lymphoma (lim-fo′mah) Tumor composed of lymphatic tissue.
lymphosarcoma (lim″fo-sar-ko′mah) Cancer within the
lymphatic tissue.
splenectomy (sple-nek′to-me) Surgical removal of the spleen.
splenitis (sple-ni′tis) Inflammation of the spleen.
splenomegaly (sple″no-meg′ah-le) Enlargement of the spleen.
splenotomy (sple-not′o-me) Incision of the spleen.
thymectomy (thi-mek′to-me) Surgical removal of the thymus.
thymitis (thi-mi′tis) Inflammation of the thymus.
xenograft (zeen′-o-graft) Transplantation of tissue from one
species into a recipient of another species.
Chapter 15
Clinical Terms Related to the
Digestive System and Nutrition______
achalasia (ak″ah-la′ze-ah) Failure of the smooth muscle to relax
at some junction in the digestive tube, such as between the
esophagus and stomach.
achlorhydria (ah″klor-hi′dre-ah) Lack of hydrochloric acid in
gastic secretions.
aphagia (ah-fa′je-ah) Inability to swallow.
cachexia (kah-kek′se-ah) State of chronic malnutrition and
physical wasting.
cholecystitis (ko″le-sis-ti′tis) Inflammation of the gallbladder.
cholelithiasis (ko″le-lĭ-thi′ah-sis) Stones in the gallbladder.
cholestasis (ko″le-sta′sis) Blockage in bile flow from the
gallbladder.
cirrhosis (sĭ-ro′sis) Condition in which liver cells degenerate
and the surrounding connective tissues thicken.
diverticulitis (di″ver-tik″u-li′tis) Inflammation of small pouches
(diverticula) that form in the lining and wall of the colon.
dumping syndrome (dum′ping sin′drōm) Symptoms, including
diarrhea, that often occur following a gastrectomy.
dysentery (dis′en-ter″e) Intestinal infection by viruses, bacteria,
or protozoans that causes diarrhea and cramps.
dyspepsia (dis-pep′se-ah) Indigestion; difficulty in digesting a
meal.
dysphagia (dis-fa′je-ah) Difficulty in swallowing.
enteritis (en″tĕ-ri′tis) Inflammation of the intestine.
esophagitis (e-sof ″ah-ji′tis) Inflammation of the esophagus.
gastrectomy (gas-trek′to-me) Partial or complete removal of the
stomach.
gastrostomy (gas-tros′to-me) Creation of an opening in the
stomach wall through which food and liquids can be
administered when swallowing is not possible.
glossitis (glŏs-si′tis) Inflammation of the tongue.
hyperalimentation(hi″per-al″ĭ-men-ta′shun) Long-term
intravenous nutrition.
ileitis (il″e-i′tis) Inflammation of the ileum.
pharyngitis (far″in-ji′tis) Inflammation of the pharynx.
polyphagia (pol″e-fa′je-ah) Overeating.
pyloric stenosis(pi-lor′ik stĕ-no′sis) Congenital obstruction at
the pyloric sphincter due to an enlarged pyloric muscle.
pylorospasm (pi-lor′o-spazm) Spasm of the pyloric portion of
the stomach or of the pyloric sphincter.
pyorrhea (pi″o-re′ah) Inflammation of the dental periosteum
with pus formation.
stomatisis ( sto″mah-ti′tis) Inflammation of the lining of the mouth.
Chapter 16
Clinical Terms Related
to the Respiratory System______
anoxia (ah-nok′se-ah) Absence or deficiency of oxygen within
tissues.
apnea (ap-ne′ah) Temporary cessation of breathing.
asphyxia (as-fik′se-ah) Oxygen deficiency and excess carbon
dioxide in blood and tissues.
atelectasis (at″e-lek′tah-sis) Collapse of a lung or part of a lung.
bradypnea (brad″e-n′ah) Abnormally slow breathing.
bronchiolectasis (brong″ke-o-lek′tah-sis) Chronic dilation of
the bronchioles.
bronchitis (brong-ki′tis) Inflammation of the bronchial lining.
Cheyne-Stokes respiration (chān stōks res″pĭ-ra′shun)
Irregular breathing consisting of a series of shallow breaths
that increase in depth and rate, followed by breaths that
decrease in depth and rate.
dyspnea (disp′ne-ah) Difficulty breathing.
eupnea (up-ne′ah) Normal breathing.
hemothorax (he″mo-tho′raks) Blood in the pleural cavity.
hypercapnia (hi″per-kap′ne-ah) Excess carbon dioxide in the
blood.
hyperoxia (hi″per-ok′se-ah) Excess oxygen in the blood.
hyperpnea (hi″perp-ne′ah) Increase in the depth and rate of
breathing.
hyperventilation (hi″per-ven″tĭ-la′shun) Prolonged, rapid, and
deep breathing.
hypoxemia (hi″pok-se′me-ah) Deficiency in blood oxygenation.
hypoxia (hi-pok′se-ah) Diminished availability of oxygen in
tissues.
lobar pneumonia (lo′ber nu-mo′ne-ah) Pneumonia that affects
an entire lung lobe.
pleurisy (ploo′rĭ-se) Inflammation of the pleural membranes.
pneumoconiosis (nu″mo-ko″ne-o′sis) Accumulation of particles
from the environment in the lungs and the reaction of
tissues to them.
pneumothorax (nu″mo-tho′raks) Entrance of air into the space
between the pleural membranes, followed by lung collapse.
rhinitis (ri-ni′tis) Inflammation of the nasal cavity lining.
sinusitis (si″nŭ-si′tis) Inflammation of the sinus cavity lining.
tachypnea (tak″ip-ne′ah) Rapid, shallow breathing.
tracheotomy (tra″ke-oto′-me) Incision in the trachea for
exploration or for removal of a foreign object.
Chapter 17
Clinical Terms Related
to the Urinary System______
anuria (ah-nu′re-ah) Absence of urine due to failure of kidney
function or to an obstruction in a urinary pathway.
bacteriuria (bak-te″re-u′re-ah) Bacteria in urine.
cystectomy (sis-tek′to-me) Surgical removal of the urinary
bladder.
cystitis (sis-ti′tis) Inflammation of the urinary bladder.