2.3 Suffixes for Treatment Procedures

Amniocentesis was introduced in Chapter 1, but it is just one form of a “surgical puncture to remove fluid,” or -centesis. Another common procedure is thoracentesis, as shown in Fig. 2.17, which involves removing fluid from the pleural space around the lungs. Fluid accumulating in this area is called pleural effusion and can make it difficult for patients to breath because the fluid compresses their lungs (Cleveland Clinic, 2022).

Fig. 2.18 shows another common procedure called paracentesis, a surgical puncture to remove fluid from the peritoneal cavity. Fluid accumulation in this area is called ascites, and as more fluid develops, the patient will become increasingly uncomfortable (John Hopkins, 2022a). Often this condition can be chronic and is associated with liver failure.

The suffix -ectomy is used in medical terms that refer to the removal of an organ, tissue, tumour, or gland. Fig. 2.19 is an image of the different types of hysterectomies that a patient might need to have, depending on their diagnosis. The term hysterectomy includes the combining form hyster/o, meaning “uterus,” and the suffix -ectomy, meaning “removal.” Fig. 2.20 is an image of a surgeon in an operating room performing an appendectomy, the removal of the appendix.

Table 2.15 provides an extensive list of surgical procedures that patients might have to undergo. Note that the term excision means “to cut out” or “to remove.” It includes the suffix -cision, meaning “to cut,” and the prefix ex-, meaning “out.”

The three suffixes in Table 2.16 are similar; however, they are very different in the way they are used in reference to tests or procedures. When discussing the record that is made as a result of a test, for example, an electrocardiogram as shown in Fig. 2.21, then suffix would be -gram (“record”). However, when discussing the process of actually completing the record, as illustrated in Fig. 2.22, then the suffix -graphy (“process of recording”) would be used. The instrument itself, in this case, would be the electrocardiograph. It is important to differentiate between the three suffixes and how they are used in medical terminology.

When a patient’s kidneys begin to fail, they have a few options, including peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, or a kidney transplant. Peritoneal dialysis was explained in Chapter 1 and is a procedure in which a tube is inserted through the abdominal wall. A solution is then instilled to help filter the blood. This type of dialysis can be completed in a patient’s home on a daily basis. The other type of dialysis is called hemodialysis and is shown in Fig 2.23 (Kidney Foundation of Canada, 2022). It involves using a dialysis machine to filter a patient’s blood and then return the blood to the patient’s body with the wastes removed. Dialysis is often used until a suitable kidney is found for transplant (Kidney Foundation of Canada, 2022).

Audiometry is an assessment of a person’s hearing. This term has the suffix -metry (“process of measuring”) and the combining form audi/o (“hearing”). Fig. 2.24 shows one manner in which audiometry can be completed.

Surgical corrections can be completed for mobility reasons, such as an arthroplasty (Fig. 2.25), or for cosmetic reasons, such as a rhinoplasty (Fig. 2.26). A rhinoplasty can also be done for medical reasons, depending on the patient’s history and pathologies.

There are many different types of -scopy procedures, and a few are listed in Table 2.20 below. It is important to differentiate between how the suffix -scopy (“process of visual examination”) and -scope (“instrument used to visually examine”) are used. The images in Fig. 2.27 and Fig. 2.28 show a colonoscopy and a bronchoscopy, the processes of visualizing the colon and bronchi. These would be performed using a colonoscope, as shown in the first image, and a bronchoscope, as shown in the second image—the instruments used to complete the procedures.

Fig. 2.29 shows one type of -stomy (“opening”), a colostomy that was created for a patient with colon cancer. This procedure can also be done for patients with bowel obstructions. An opening into the colon is created, and a stoma is formed on the abdomen to allow bowel movements to exit the body into a colostomy bag. The opening can be permanent, or if the patient’s condition permits, may be only semi-permanent.

Below are three examples of very different ways of the using the suffix -therapy (“treatment)”:

• chemotherapy: Treatment with drugs (chem/o)
• cryotherapy: Treatment with cold (cry/o)
• radiotherapy: Treatment with X-rays (radi/o)

Fig 2.30 shows a cryogun, a common device used in cryotherapy. The cold contents are sprayed on a wart or skin tag, and through a series of treatments, the wart or skin tag is slowly removed. Fig. 2.31 has a patient about to receive a chemotherapy treatment, which is used to treat various forms of cancer.

Phlebotomy, withdrawing a blood sample for analysis (Fig. 2.32), is a common procedure that many, if not most, people experience during their lifetime. Another example of the use of the suffix -tomy (“incision” or “cutting into”) would be a craniotomy, a procedure often done to release pressure during brain surgery.

Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is used to assist patients who have stones in their kidneys, ureters, pancreatic, or bile ducts (John Hopkins, 2022b). This procedure is not invasive and breaks down the stones using shock waves with the assistance of X-rays or ultrasound (Fig 2.33). Once broken down, the stones can pass through the urinary system and out of the patient’s body (John Hopkins, 2022b).