Foundation year MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY T.SANAA ABDELHAMED

 Radioactive: substance whose nucleus disintegrates and gives off energy in the form of radiation which can pass through other substances.  Radiation: waves of energy which are given off by certain substances, especially radioactive substances and by x-ray machines. The combining form is radi/o. Medical Terms Related To Radiography

 Radiography: means examining the internal parts of the patient by taking x-ray pictures. The combining form radi/o means radiation. And the suffix – graphy means an x- ray examination.  Radiologist: a doctor who specializes in radiology.

 Radiograph: an x-ray picture.  Radiographer: a person specially trained to operate a machine to take radiograph.  Tomography: scanning a particular part of the body using x-ray or ultrasound. The prefix tomo- means a cutting or section.

 Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT): a system of scanning a patient’s body, where a narrow x-ray beam, guided by a computer, can photograph a thin section of the body or of an organ from several angles, using the computer to build up an image of the section.

 Ultrasound: means very high frequency sound wave. The prefix ultra- means very high. Ultrasonic is the adjective form of ultrasound.

 Angiocardiogram: x-ray image of blood vessels and heart chambers. The suffix – gram means record or picture.  Angiocardiography: x-ray examination of the arteries of the heart after introducing a radio-opaque contrast medium into the coronaries by means of a catheter.

 Angiography: an x-ray examination of blood vessels.  Arthrography: an x-ray examination of joints. Arthr/o means joint.  Lymphangiography: an x-ray examination of lymph vessels and nodes after the contrast medium has been injected into them.

 Contrast medium: a radio-opaque substance, put into an organ or part of the body so that it will show clearly in an x- ray photograph. The plural is contrast media.  Bronchogram: x-ray film of the bronchi.

 Cholecystogram: x-ray picture of the gall bladder.  Cholecystogrphy: x-ray examination of the gall bladder.  Pyelogram: x-ray picture of the renal pelvis.

 Magnetic: means having the attraction of magnet.  Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI): scanning technique for examining soft body tissue and cells.

 Fluoroscope: an instrument which projects an x-ray image of a part of the body onto a screen, so that the part of the body can be examined as it moves. The combining form fluor/o means luminous. The suffix – scope means to see.

 Barium: means chemical element, used in the form of barium sulphate as a contrast medium when taking x-ray photographs of the gastrointestinal tract.  Barium sulphate: salt of barium not soluble in water shows as opaque in x-ray photographs.

 Barium enema: means liquid solution containing barium sulphate which is put into the rectum so that an x-ray can be taken of the lower intestine.

 Barium meal: means a liquid solution containing barium sulphate which a patient drinks to increase the contrast of an x- ray of the alimentary tract.