You should be getting pretty good at making sense of medical terminology.  But, nothing beats practical application!  Following is an abstract of a simulated patient’s medical record.  Note words in italics. Take them apart. Look for the "root" meaning. Read the record and answer the questions that follow to yourself. 

A 48 year old male complains of abdominal discomfort after meals, especially, high fat meals.  At those times he also has aching in his right shoulder and back.  An ultrasound of the upper abdomen revealed cholelithiasis.  A consult with a gastroenterologist determined that cholelithotripsy was considered but it was decided that a laparoscopic cholecystectomy would be the first procedure attempted.  If complications were encountered then an open cholecystectomy would be performed. 

Significant medical history:  patient had a coronary angiography performed at age 46 following suspected myocardial infarct. 

What is the diagnosis (the patient’s current medical problem)? 

Did the procedure performed to aid in the diagnosis involve use of X-rays? 

Was a specialist appropriate to the diagnosis consulted? 

What treatments were considered? 

What significant event was in the patient’s medical history? 

What procedure was performed in the patient’s medical history? 

After answering these questions based solely upon your knowledge of medical terminology, click on the plain English version and see how you did.