Part 3 - Digestive System

• Bilirubin


  Orange colored or Yellowish pigment in bile. Bilirubin is formed principally by the breakdown of hemoglobin in red blood cells after termination of their normal lifespan.
• Bolus


  Mass of masticated food ready to be swallowed
• Exocrine


  Denotes a gland that secretes its products through excretory ducts to the surface of an organ or tissue or into a vessel.
• Sphincter


  Circular band of muscle fibers that constricts a passage or closes a natural opening of the body.
• Root words

  • Cirrh/o - Orange
  • Cheil/o - lip
  • Chol/e - bile, gall
  • Diverticul/o - diverticulum
  • Fec/e - feces
  • Flux - flow
  • Gastr/o - stomach
  • Gloss- - tongue
  • Halit/o - breath
  • Hepat/o - liver
  • Ile/u - to roll, ileum
  • Lapar/o - abdomen
  • Lith/o - stone
  • peps, pept- - digestion
  • polyp - small growth
• Suffixes

  • -ia - condition of
  • -itis - inflammation
  • -dynia - pain
  • -osis - condition of
  • -rrhaphy - suturing
  • -scopy - to view
  • -sis - state of
  • -stomy - surgical creation of an opening
  • -tomy - incision, to cut
• Word Building with an/o & bucc/o

  • buccal - pertaining to cheek
  • labiobuccal - pertaining to lips and cheeks
  • anal - pertaining to anus
• Word Building with append/o & appendic/o

  • appendicitis - inflammation of appendix
  • appendectomy - surgical removal of appendix
• Word Building with cholecyst/o & dent/o

  • cholecystectomy - removal of gallbladder
  • cholecystogram - X-ray record of gallbladder
  • cholecystic - pertaining to gallbladder
  • cholecystalgia - gallbladder pain
  • dental - pertaining to teeth
  • dentalgia - tooth pain
• Word Building with col/o & colon/o

  • colonoscope - instrument to view colon
  • colonic - pertaining to colon
  • colectomy - removal of colon
  • colostomy - new opening into colon
  • colorectal - pertaining to colon & rectum
• Word Building with duoden/o, enter/o, & esophag/o

  • duodenal - pertaining to duodenum
  • enteric - pertaining to intestine
  • enteritis - inflammation of intestine
  • esophageal - pertaining to esophagus
  • esophagectasis - dilation of esophagus
• Word Building with gastr/o

  • nasogastric - pertaining to nose & stomach
  • gastrostomy - new opening into stomach
  • gastroscope - instrument to view stomach
  • gastritis - inflammation of stomach
  • gastrectomy - surgical removal of stomach
• Word Building with hepat/o & ile/o

  • hepatitis - inflammation of liver
  • hepatoma - liver tumor
  • ihleeaplatic - pertaining to ileum
  • ileostomy - new opening into ileum
• Word Building with odont/o, or/o, & palat/o

  • orthodontic - pertaining to straight teeth
  • oral - pertaining to mouth
  • palatoplasty - surgical repair of palate
• Word Building with pancreat/o & pharyng/o

  • pancreatitis - inflammation of pancreas
  • pancreatic - pertaining to pancreas
  • pharyngeal - pertaining to pharynx
  • pharyngoplegia - pharynx paralysis
  • pharyngoplasty - surgical repair of pharynx
• Word Building with proct/o & pylor/o

  • pyloric - pertaining to pylorus
  • proctoptosis - drooping rectum & anus
  • proctologist - rectum & anus specialist
  • proctopexy - surgical fixation of rectum & anus
• Word Building with rect/o, sialaden/o,sigmoid/o

  • rectal - pertaining to rectum
  • sigmoidoscope - instrument to view inside sigmoid colon
  • sigmoidal - pertaining to sigmoid colon
  • sialadenitis - inflammation of salivary glands
• Word Building with –emesis, –orexia, & –prandial

  • hematemesis - vomit blood
  • hyperemesis - excessive vomiting
  • anorexia - lack of appetite
  • dysorexia - abnormal appetite
  • postprandial - pertaining to after a meal
• Word Building with –pepsia & –phagia

  • aphagia - lack of eating
  • dysphagia - abnormal eating
  • polyphagia - too much eating
  • bradypepsia - slow digestion
  • dyspepsia - painful digestion
• Aphthous Ulcers - ulcers in the mouth, commonly called “canker sores”
• Esophageal Pathology: esophageal varices, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Stomach Pathology: gastric carcinoma, hiatal hernia, peptic ulcer disease (PUD)
• Small Intestine & Colon Pathology: anal fistula, colorectal carcinoma, Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, diverticulosis, dysentery, hemorrhoids, ileus, inguinal hernia, intussusception, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), polyposis, ulcerative colitis, volvulus
• Accessory Organ Pathology: cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, cirrhosis, hepatitis
• Alanine transaminase (ALT)


  Normal enzyme in the bloodstream; increased levels indicate liver disease
• Aspartate transaminase (AST)


  Normal enzyme in the bloodstream; increased levels indicate liver disease
• Fecal occult blood (FOBT)


  Examines feces for microscopic amounts of blood; also called hemoccult
• Ova and parasites (O&P)


  Examination of feces for presence of parasites or their eggs
• Serum bilirubin


  Determines amount of bilirubin in bloodstream; indicates liver disease
• Stool culture


  Culture of feces to look for presence of pathogenic bacteria
• Bite-wing X-ray: x-ray of teeth with film holder held in the teeth
• Intravenous cholecystography: x-ray of gallbladder and bile ducts after intravenous injection of dye
• Lower gastrointestinal series (lower GI): x-ray of colon and rectum after barium dye injected via an enema; also called a barium enema (BE)
• Colonoscopy


  Visual examination inside of colon and rectum using a colonoscope
• Gastroscopy


  Visual examination inside of stomach using a gastroscope
• Laparoscopy


  Visual examination inside of abdominal cavity using a laparoscope
• Sigmoidoscopy


  Visual examination inside of sigmoid colon using a sigmoidoscope
• Gastric lavage


  Cleansing procedure for the stomach
• Gavage


  Process of feeding a patient through a tube inserted into the nose that extends through the esophagus and into the stomach
• Nasogastric intubation (NG tube)

  Flexible catheter inserted into nose and down esophagus into the stomach