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surgical procedure Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pa ...

names can be broken into parts to indicate the meaning. For example, in

gastrectomy A gastrectomy is a partial or total surgical removal of the stomach. Indications Gastrectomies are performed to treat stomach cancer and perforations of the stomach wall. In severe duodenal ulcers it may be necessary to remove the lower porti ...

, "ectomy" is a

suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carr ...

meaning the removal of a part of the body. "Gastro-" means

stomach The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach i ...

. Thus, ''gastrectomy'' refers to the surgical removal of the stomach (or sections thereof). "Otomy" means cutting into a part of the body; a ''gastrotomy'' would be cutting into, but not necessarily removing, the stomach. And also "pharyngo" means pharynx, "laryngo" means larynx, "esophag" means esophagus. Thus, "pharyngolaryngoesophagectomy" refers to the surgical removal of the three. The field of minimally invasive surgery has spawned another set of words, such as ''arthroscopic'' or ''laparoscopic'' surgery. These take the same form as above; an arthroscope is a device which allows the inside of the joint to be seen.

List of common surgery terms

Prefixes

* ''mono-'' : one, from the Greek μόνος, ''monos'', "only, single" * ''angio-'' : related to a blood vessel, from the Greek αγγήϊον ''angḗïon'', "vessel", "containter", "pot" * ''arthr-'' : related to a joint, from the Greek άρθρον, ''árthron'', "joint" * ''bi-'' : two, from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

prefix *''bi'', meaning "two". * ''colono-'' : related to large intestine colon, from the latin ''cōlon'', "clause f a poem, itself from the Greek χωλον, ''chōlon'', "clause, memeber, part" * ''colpo-'' : related to the

vagina In mammals, the vagina is the elastic, muscular part of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vestibule to the cervix. The outer vaginal opening is normally partly covered by a thin layer of mucosal tissue called the hymen ...

, from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...

χόλπος, ''chólpos'', meaning "hollow space", but also a synonym for "womb" * ''cysto-'' : related to the

bladder The urinary bladder, or simply bladder, is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys before disposal by urination. In humans the bladder is a distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor. Urine en ...

, from the Greek χύστις, ''chústis'', "bladder, pouch" * ''encephal-'' : related to the

brain A brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as Visual perception, vision. I ...

, from the Ancient Greek εγκέφαλος, ''enchéphalos'' itself from εν, ''en'', "in", and κεφαλή, ''kephalḗ'', meaning "head". * ''gastr-'' : related to

, from the Greek γαστήρ, ''gastḗr'', "stomach" * ''hepat-'' : related to the

liver The liver is a major organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth. In humans, it i ...

, from the latin ''hēpatītis'', from the latin ''hēpar'', Greek loanword, originally ηπαρ, ''hēpar'', meaning "liver" * ''hyster-'' : related to the

uterus The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', plural ''uteri'') or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more embryos until birth. The ...

, from Neo-Latin ''hysteria'', itself ultimately from the Greek ύστέρα, ''hústéra'', meaning "womb, uterus" * ''lamino-'' : related to the lamina (posterior aspect of vertebra) * ''lapar-'' : related to the

abdominal The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the to ...

cavity ** Etymology actually refers to soft, fleshy part of abdominal wall. The term ''celio-'' is generally considered more accurate and more commonly used in America. * ''lobo-'' : related to a lobe (of the

lungs The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either si ...

), from the latin ''lobo'', ablative declension of ''lobus'', itself from the Greek λοβός, ''lobós'', "lobe", "pea-pod" * ''mammo-'' and ''masto-'': related to the

breasts The breast is one of two prominences located on the upper ventral region of a primate's torso. Both females and males develop breasts from the same embryological tissues. In females, it serves as the mammary gland, which produces and se ...

, from the latin ''mammas'', "breast", and Greek μάσταζ ''mástaz'', "chewer" * ''myo-'' : related to

muscle Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of mus ...

tissue, from the Greek μυς, ''mús'', from μύσκυλος ''múskulos'', "little mouse", so called because the Greeks believed that muscles looked like little mice. * ''nephro-'' : related to the

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blo ...

from the Greek νεφρόν, ''nephrón'', accusative declension of νεφρός, ''kidney'' * ''oophor-'' : related to the

ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...

, from ωοφόρος, ''oophóros'', meaning "egg-bearing" * ''orchid-'' : related to the

testicles A testicle or testis (plural testes) is the male reproductive gland or gonad in all bilaterians, including humans. It is homologous to the female ovary. The functions of the testes are to produce both sperm and androgens, primarily testosteron ...

, from the latin ''orchis'', itself from the Greek όρχις, ''órchis'', meaning "testicle" or sometimes "orchid" so called because the Greeks believed

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of floweri ...

roots looked like testicles. * ''rhino-'' : related to the

nose A nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which receive and expel air for respiration alongside the mouth. Behind the nose are the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passe ...

, from the Greek ρινός ''rinós'', genitive declension of ρίς ''rís'', "nose" * ''thoraco-'' : related to the chest * ''vas-'' : related to a duct, usually the vas deferens, from the latin ''vas'', meaning "vessel", or "vein"

Suffixes

* ''-centesis'' : surgical puncture * ''-tripsy'' : crushing or breaking up * ''-desis'' : fusion of two parts into one, stabilization * ''-ectomy'' : surgical removal ''(see List of -ectomies)''. The term 'resection' is also used, especially when referring to a

tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

. * ''-opsy'' : looking at * ''-oscopy'' : viewing of, normally with a scope * ''-ostomy'' or ''-stomy'' : surgically creating a hole (a new "mouth" or "

stoma In botany, a stoma (from Greek ''στόμα'', "mouth", plural "stomata"), also called a stomate (plural "stomates"), is a pore found in the epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that controls the rate of gas exchange. The pore is bo ...

", from the Greek στόμα (''stóma''), meaning "body", see List of -ostomies) * ''-otomy'' or ''-tomy'' : surgical incision ''(see List of -otomies)'' * ''-pexy'' : to fix or secure * ''-plasty'' : to modify or reshape (sometimes entails replacement with a prosthesis), from the Ancient Greek πλάστος, ''plástos'', meaning "molded". * ''-rrhaphy'' : to strengthen, usually with

suture Suture, literally meaning "seam", may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Suture'' (album), a 2000 album by American Industrial rock band Chemlab * ''Suture'' (film), a 1993 film directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel * Suture (ban ...

External links

Multimedia Manual of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Surgical procedures and techniques

List of common surgery terms

Prefixes

Suffixes

See also

External links