Medical Terminology for CPC

Medical Prefix for Medical coder

A- Without

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Anemia	a/nemia	Without/deficient blood (RBCs)
Asymptomatic	a/symptomatic	Without symptoms
Aphasia	a/phasia	Without speech

Ante- Before

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Antepartum	ante/partum	Before childbirth

Anti-Against

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Antibiotic (resistance)	anti/biotic	Against life (microbes)

Brady- Slow

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Bradycardia	brady/cardia	Slow heart rate

Contra- Opposite

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Contralateral	contra/lateral	Opposite side

Dys- Without/ Different

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Dysfunction	dys/function	Abnormal/impaired function
Dyspnea	dys/pnea	Difficult breathing
Dysphagia	dys/phagia	Difficulty swallowing
Dysplasia	dys/plasia	Abnormal cell development
Dystrophy	dys/trophy	Abnormal development/degeneration

Ecto- Outside/ away

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Ectopic (pregnancy)	ecto/pic	Out of normal place

Epi- Above

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Epigastric (pain)	epi/gastric	Above the stomach
Epicondylitis	epi/condyl/itis	Inflammation above a condyle
Epidural (hematoma)	epi/dural	Upon/above the dura

Hemi- Half

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Hemiplegia	hemi/plegia	Paralysis of one side
Hemiparesis	hemi/paresis	Weakness of one side
Hemianopia	hemi/an/opia	Blindness in half the visual field

Hyper- High

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Hypertension	hyper/tension	High blood pressure
Hyperglycemia	hyper/glyc/emia	High blood sugar
Hyperthyroidism	hyper/thyroid/ism	Overactive thyroid
Hypertrophy	hyper/trophy	Excessive growth/enlargement
Hyperlipidemia	hyper/lipid/emia	High blood lipids
Hyperkalemia	hyper/kal/emia	High blood potassium
Hypernatremia	hyper/natr/emia	High blood sodium
Hyperplasia	hyper/plasia	Excessive cell growth
Hyperemesis	hyper/emesis	Excessive vomiting

Hypo- Low or Less

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Hypotension	hypo/tension	Low blood pressure
Hypoglycemia	hypo/glyc/emia	Low blood sugar
Hypothyroidism	hypo/thyroid/ism	Underactive thyroid
Hypoxia	hyp/oxia	Low oxygen (tissue)
Hypokalemia	hypo/kal/emia	Low blood potassium
Hyponatremia	hypo/natr/emia	Low blood sodium
Hypoplasia	hypo/plasia	Underdevelopment of tissue
Hypothermia	hypo/thermia	Low body temperature

Inter-

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Intervertebral (disc disease)	inter/vertebral	Between vertebrae
Intercostal (neuralgia)	inter/costal	Between ribs

Intra- within

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Intracranial (hemorrhage)	intra/cranial	Within the skull
Intramuscular (abscess)	intra/muscular	Within a muscle
Intravenous (thrombosis)	intra/venous	Within a vein

Macro- Large

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Macrocephaly	macro/cephaly	Abnormally large head
Macrocytosis	macro/cyt/osis	Abnormally large red blood cells

Mal- Bad

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Malformation	mal/formation	Abnormal formation
Malignant	mal/ignant	Bad/harmful (tumor behavior)
Malunion	mal/union	Improper healing of a fracture

Mega- / Megalo- Large

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Megacolon	mega/colon	Abnormally enlarged colon

Micro- Small

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Microcephaly	micro/cephaly	Abnormally small head

Neo- New

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Neoplasm	neo/plasm	New/abnormal tissue growth
Neonatal (jaundice)	neo/natal	Newborn

Pan- All

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Pancytopenia	pan/cyto/penia	Deficiency of all blood cell types
PanSinusits	pan/sinus/itis	Inflammation of all sinus

Para-

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Paraplegia	para/plegia	Paralysis of lower body

Peri- Surrounding

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Pericarditis	peri/card/itis	Inflammation around the heart

Poly- Many

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Polyuria	poly/uria	Excessive urination
Polyneuropathy	poly/neuro/pathy	Disease of multiple nerves
Polycystic (kidney disease)	poly/cystic	Many cysts
Polyarthritis	poly/arthr/itis	Inflammation of many joints

Sub- Below

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Subdural (hematoma)	sub/dural	Below the dura mater

Supra- Above

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Suprarenal (mass)	supra/renal	Above the kidney

Tachy- Fast

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Tachycardia	tachy/cardia	Fast heart rate
Tachypnea	tachy/pnea	Fast breathing

Uni- Single

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Unilateral (weakness)	uni/lateral	Affecting one side

Medical Suffix for Medical coder

-algia / -dynia (pain)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Arthralgia	arthr/algia	Joint pain
Cephalgia (Cephalalgia)	cephal/algia	Headache
Myalgia	my/algia	Muscle pain
Neuralgia	neur/algia	Nerve pain
Odontalgia	odont/algia	Tooth pain

-cele (hernia, protrusion, swelling)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Cystocele	cysto/cele	Herniation of the bladder
Encephalocele	encephalo/cele	Protrusion of brain tissue
Hydrocele	hydro/cele	Fluid-filled swelling (scrotum)
Meningocele	meningo/cele	Protrusion of meninges
Rectocele	recto/cele	Herniation of the rectum
Varicocele	varico/cele	Swelling of scrotal veins

-dema (swelling)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Edema	—	Swelling from fluid retention

-ectasis / -ectasia (dilation, stretching)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Angiectasis	angi/ectasis	Dilation of blood vessels
Telangiectasia	telangi/ectasia	Dilation of small blood vessels

-emesis (vomiting)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Hematemesis	hemat/emesis	Vomiting blood

-emia (blood condition)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Anemia	an/emia	Deficiency of red blood cells
Hyperlipidemia	hyper/lipid/emia	Excess lipids in blood
Hyperglycemia	hyper/glyc/emia	Excess blood sugar
Hypoglycemia	hypo/glyc/emia	Low blood sugar
Hypoxemia	hyp/ox/emia	Low blood oxygen
Leukemia	leuk/emia	Cancer of blood-forming tissue
Septicemia	septic/emia	Blood infection
Uremia	ur/emia	Urea/waste in blood (kidney failure)
Ischemia	isch/emia	Restricted blood supply

-genic (originating from)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Cardiogenic	cardio/genic	Originating from the heart
Neurogenic	neuro/genic	Originating from the nervous system

-itis (inflammation)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Appendicitis	appendic/itis	Inflammation of the appendix
Arthritis	arthr/itis	Inflammation of a joint
Bronchitis	bronch/itis	Inflammation of bronchi
Cystitis	cyst/itis	Inflammation of the bladder
Dermatitis	dermat/itis	Inflammation of the skin
Encephalitis	encephal/itis	Inflammation of the brain
Gastritis	gastr/itis	Inflammation of the stomach
Hepatitis	hepat/itis	Inflammation of the liver
Meningitis	mening/itis	Inflammation of the meninges
Nephritis	nephr/itis	Inflammation of the kidney
Osteomyelitis	osteo/myel/itis	Inflammation of bone/bone marrow
Otitis	ot/itis	Inflammation of the ear
Pancreatitis	pancreat/itis	Inflammation of the pancreas
Pharyngitis	pharyng/itis	Inflammation of the pharynx
Sinusitis	sinus/itis	Inflammation of the sinuses
Tendinitis	tendin/itis	Inflammation of a tendon
Vasculitis	vascul/itis	Inflammation of blood vessels

-lithiasis (presence of stones) — see also -iasis

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Cholelithiasis	chole/lithiasis	Gallstones
Nephrolithiasis	nephro/lithiasis	Kidney stones
Sialolithiasis	sialo/lithiasis	Salivary gland stones

-malacia (softening)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Chondromalacia	chondro/malacia	Softening of cartilage
Osteomalacia	osteo/malacia	Softening of bones
Keratomalacia	kerato/malacia	Softening of the cornea

-megaly (enlargement)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Cardiomegaly	cardio/megaly	Enlarged heart
Hepatomegaly	hepato/megaly	Enlarged liver

-oma (tumor, mass)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Adenoma	aden/oma	Benign glandular tumor
Carcinoma	carcin/oma	Malignant epithelial tumor
Fibroma	fibr/oma	Benign fibrous tumor
Lymphoma	lymph/oma	Cancer of lymphatic tissue
Myoma	my/oma	Muscle tumor
Neuroma	neur/oma	Nerve tissue tumor
Osteoma	oste/oma	Bone tumor
Sarcoma	sarc/oma	Malignant connective tissue tumor

-pathy (disease)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Arthropathy	arthro/pathy	Joint disease
Cardiomyopathy	cardio/my/o/pathy	Heart muscle disease
Encephalopathy	encephalo/pathy	Brain disease
Myopathy	my/o/pathy	Muscle disease
Nephropathy	nephro/pathy	Kidney disease
Neuropathy	neuro/pathy	Nerve disease
Retinopathy	retino/pathy	Retinal disease

-penia (deficiency)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Leukopenia	leuko/penia	Deficiency of white blood cells
Neutropenia	neutro/penia	Deficiency of neutrophils
Osteopenia	osteo/penia	Reduced bone density
Thrombocytopenia	thrombocyto/penia	Deficiency of platelets

-plegia (paralysis)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Hemiplegia	hemi/plegia	Paralysis of one side of the body
Paraplegia	para/plegia	Paralysis of lower body
Quadriplegia	quadri/plegia	Paralysis of all four limbs

-ptosis (drooping, prolapse)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Blepharoptosis	blepharo/ptosis	Drooping eyelid
Nephroptosis	nephro/ptosis	Prolapsed kidney
Gastroptosis	gastro/ptosis	Prolapsed stomach

-rrhage / -rrhagia (excessive bleeding/discharge)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Hemorrhage	hemo/rrhage	Excessive bleeding
Menorrhagia	meno/rrhagia	Excessive menstrual bleeding

-rrhea (discharge, flow)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Diarrhea	dia/rrhea	Frequent watery bowel discharge
Amenorrhea	a/meno/rrhea	Absence of menstruation
Dysmenorrhea	dys/meno/rrhea	Painful menstruation
Otorrhea	oto/rrhea	Ear discharge
Rhinorrhea	rhino/rrhea	Runny nose

-rrhexis (rupture)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Angiorrhexis	angio/rrhexis	Rupture of a blood vessel
Cardiorrhexis	cardio/rrhexis	Rupture of the heart
Hysterorrhexis	hystero/rrhexis	Rupture of the uterus

-sclerosis (hardening)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Arteriosclerosis	arterio/sclerosis	Hardening of arteries
Atherosclerosis	athero/sclerosis	Hardening from fatty plaque
Multiple sclerosis	—	Hardening of nerve tissue (CNS)

-spasm (involuntary contraction)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Blepharospasm	blepharo/spasm	Eyelid twitching
Bronchospasm	broncho/spasm	Constriction of bronchi

-stenosis (narrowing)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Aortic stenosis	—	Narrowing of the aortic valve
Pyloric stenosis	—	Narrowing of the pylorus
Spinal stenosis	—	Narrowing of the spinal canal
Tracheostenosis	tracheo/stenosis	Narrowing of the trachea

-trophy (growth, development)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Atrophy	a/trophy	Wasting/decrease in size
Hypertrophy	hyper/trophy	Increase in size
Dystrophy	dys/trophy	Abnormal development (e.g., muscular dystrophy)

-uria (urine condition)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Dysuria	dys/uria	Painful urination
Hematuria	hemat/uria	Blood in urine
Nocturia	noct/uria	Excessive nighttime urination
Oliguria	olig/uria	Scanty urine output
Proteinuria	protein/uria	Protein in urine

Medical Procedure Suffixes for CPC Exam

-centesis (surgical puncture to aspirate fluid)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Arthrocentesis	arthro/centesis	Puncture to withdraw joint fluid
Paracentesis	para/centesis	Puncture to withdraw fluid from peritoneal cavity
Thoracentesis	thora/centesis	Puncture to withdraw fluid from pleural cavity

-desis (surgical binding/fusion)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Arthrodesis	arthro/desis	Surgical fusion of a joint
Tenodesis	teno/desis	Surgical fixation of a tendon

-ectomy (surgical removal/excision)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Cholecystectomy	cholecyst/ectomy	Removal of the gallbladder
Colectomy	col/ectomy	Removal of the colon
Gastrectomy	gastr/ectomy	Removal of the stomach
Hysterectomy	hyster/ectomy	Removal of the uterus
Mastectomy	mast/ectomy	Removal of a breast
Nephrectomy	nephr/ectomy	Removal of a kidney
Prostatectomy	prostat/ectomy	Removal of the prostate
Vasectomy	vas/ectomy	Removal/ligation of the vas deferens

-gram (the resulting record/image)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Angiogram	angio/gram	Image of blood vessels
Cholangiogram	cholangio/gram	Image of bile ducts
Electrocardiogram	electro/cardio/gram	Record of heart's electrical activity
Electroencephalogram	electro/encephalo/gram	Record of brain's electrical activity
Mammogram	mammo/gram	Image of the breast

-graphy (process of producing a record/image)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Angiography	angio/graphy	Imaging of blood vessels
Cholangiography	cholangio/graphy	Imaging of bile ducts
Mammography	mammo/graphy	Imaging of the breast
Radiography	radio/graphy	X-ray imaging
Urography	uro/graphy	Imaging of the urinary tract

-lysis (breakdown/destruction/separation)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Adhesiolysis	adhesio/lysis	Surgical release of adhesions
Neurolysis	neuro/lysis	Freeing a nerve from adhesions
Thrombolysis	thrombo/lysis	Breakdown of a blood clot

-metry (process of measuring)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Audiometry	audio/metry	Measurement of hearing
Spirometry	spiro/metry	Measurement of lung capacity

-opsy (viewing/examination)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Biopsy	bi/opsy	Examination of living tissue
Autopsy	auto/opsy	Examination of a body after death

-oscopy / -scopy (visual examination using a scope)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Arthroscopy	arthro/scopy	Visual exam of a joint
Bronchoscopy	broncho/scopy	Visual exam of the bronchi
Colonoscopy	colono/scopy	Visual exam of the colon
Cystoscopy	cysto/scopy	Visual exam of the bladder
Endoscopy	endo/scopy	Visual exam inside the body
Esophagoscopy	esophago/scopy	Visual exam of the esophagus
Gastroscopy	gastro/scopy	Visual exam of the stomach
Laparoscopy	laparo/scopy	Visual exam of the abdominal cavity
Laryngoscopy	laryngo/scopy	Visual exam of the larynx
Sigmoidoscopy	sigmoido/scopy	Visual exam of the sigmoid colon

-ostomy (surgical creation of an opening)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Colostomy	col/ostomy	Opening from colon to abdominal wall
Cystostomy	cyst/ostomy	Opening into the bladder

-otomy / -tomy (incision, cutting into)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Arthrotomy	arthro/tomy	Incision into a joint
Craniotomy	cranio/tomy	Incision into the skull
Laparotomy	lapar/otomy	Incision into the abdomen
Myringotomy	myringo/tomy	Incision into the eardrum
Osteotomy	osteo/tomy	Incision/cutting of bone
Tracheotomy	trache/otomy	Incision into the trachea

-pexy (surgical fixation)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Mastopexy	masto/pexy	Fixation/lift of the breast
Orchiopexy	orchio/pexy	Fixation of an undescended testicle

-plasty (surgical repair/reconstruction)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Angioplasty	angio/plasty	Repair of a blood vessel
Arthroplasty	arthro/plasty	Reconstruction of a joint
Blepharoplasty	blepharo/plasty	Repair of the eyelid
Cranioplasty	cranio/plasty	Repair of the skull
Mammoplasty	mammo/plasty	Reconstruction of the breast
Rhinoplasty	rhino/plasty	Reconstruction of the nose

-rrhaphy (suturing)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Herniorrhaphy	hernio/rrhaphy	Suturing of a hernia repair
Myorrhaphy	myo/rrhaphy	Suturing of a muscle
Neurorrhaphy	neuro/rrhaphy	Suturing of a nerve
Tenorrhaphy	teno/rrhaphy	Suturing of a tendon

-stasis (stopping, controlling)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Hemostasis	hemo/stasis	Stopping of bleeding

-therapy (treatment)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Chemotherapy	chemo/therapy	Treatment with drugs (esp. cancer)
Cryotherapy	cryo/therapy	Treatment using cold

-tome (cutting instrument)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Dermatome	derma/tome	Instrument to cut thin skin sections
Osteotome	osteo/tome	Instrument to cut bone

-tripsy (crushing)

Term	Breakdown	Meaning
Lithotripsy	litho/tripsy	Crushing of a stone (kidney/gallstone)
Neurotripsy	neuro/tripsy	Surgical crushing of a nerve