Anatomy and Physiology Overview • CHAPTER 7 281
Word Element Meaning Word Analysis
Suffixes
-emia blood condition azot/emia(ăz-ō-TĒ-mē-ă): excessive amounts of nitrogenous compounds in the
blood
azot: nitrogenous compounds
Azotemia is a toxic condition caused by the kidneys’ failure to remove urea from the
blood.
-iasis abnormal lith/iasis(lĭth-Ī-ă-sĭs): abnormal condition of stones or calculi
condition lith: stone, calculus
(produced by The calculi occur most commonly in the kidney, lower urinary tract, and gallbladder.
something
specified)
-lysis separation; dia/lysis(dī-ĂL-ĭ-sĭs): process of removing toxic wastes from the blood when
destruction; the kidneys are unable to do so
loosening dia-: through, across
-pathy disease nephr/o/pathy(nĕ-FRŎP-ă-thē): disease of the kidneys
nephr: kidney
-pexy fixation (of an nephr/o/pexy(NĔF-rō-pĕks-ē): surgical procedure to affix a displaced kidney
organ) nephr/o: kidney
-ptosis prolapse, nephr/o/ptosis(nĕf-rŏp-TŌ-sĭs): downward displacement or dropping of a kidney
downward nephr/o: kidney
displacement
-tripsy crushing lith/o/tripsy(LĬTH-ō-trĭp-sē): crushing of a stone
lith/o: stone, calculus
Lithotripsy is a surgical procedure that employs sound waves to crush a stone in the
kidney, ureter, bladder, or gallbladder. The fragments may then be expelled or
washed out.
-uria urine poly/uria(pŏl-ē-Ū-rē-ă): excessive urination
poly-: many, much
Pronunciation Help Long sound a ̄in ra ̄te e ̄in re ̄birth ı ̄in ı ̄sle o ̄in o ̄ver u ̄in u ̄nite
Short sound a ̆in a ̆lone e ̆in e ̆ver ̆ıin ı ̆t o ̆in no ̆t u ̆in cu ̆t
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