1.4 Combining Forms

Figure 1.1 shows a radiograph of a dog with an enlarged heart: cardiomegaly.

cardi/o (heart), –megaly (enlargement)

Figure 1.3 shows a model of normal dentition of a dog (right) and a cat (left). Complete dental care has become a large part of veterinary medicine. From dental exams to full cleanings with dental X-rays, oral care is part of every wellness exam and improving animals’ overall health.

Incisions are done for many reasons, and Figure 1.4 is an image of a surgeon making an abdominal incision. The surgeon could possibly be doing an exploratory laparotomy or an ovariohysterectomy (spay). Incision has the suffix -cision, which means “process of cutting.”

During a physical exam, the veterinarian may use an otoscope to visualize the ear canal, as pictured in Figure 1.5. The term means an “instrument to view” (scope) “the ear” (ot/o). Similarly, an eye exam may be performed with an ophthalmoscope, an instrument used to view and assess the eye on patients with eye problems like the cat in Figure 1.6.

Figure 1.7 shows the nasal cavity of a dog. A dog with rhinitis would have inflammation of the nasal cavity. The combining form rhin/o means “nose” and -itis means “inflammation.”