____________________________Chapter 6 Additional Suffixes and Digestive System Terminology

Lesson Plan

6 Additional Suffixes and Digestive System Terminology

TEACHING FOCUS
Students will be introduced to a list of suffixes that commonly relate to the gastrointestinal system. With an
understanding of these terms, students will have the opportunity to learn how terms are combined to define
clinical terminology and procedures. Students will also have the opportunity to learn the laboratory tests and
procedures, along with their abbreviated terms, that are related to gastrointestinal treatments. With a
practical application, students will have the opportunity to gain an understanding of how terms are used
within the context of one patients case of a gastrointestinal disorder.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Bowl or hat (Lesson 6.1)

Flash cards with names of laboratory tests,
clinical procedures, or abbreviations related
to the digestive system (Lesson 6.1)

Transparencies or flash cards with a variety

of suffixes and combining forms relating to
the digestive system (Lesson 6.1)

LESSON CHECKLIST

Preparations for this lesson include:

Lecture
Demonstration
Student performance evaluation of all entry-level skills required for student comprehension and
application of digestive system terminology, including:
o new suffixes and how they relate to the digestive system
o laboratory tests, clinical procedures, and abbreviations that relate to the digestive system
o medical terms in reports and records

KEY TERMS

Suffixes (pp. 188-190)

-ectasis, -ectasia
-emesis
-lysis
-pepsia
-phagia
-plasty
-ptosis
-ptysis
-rrhage, -rrhagia
-rrhaphy
-rrhea
-spasm
-stasis
-stenosis
-tresia
Terminology (pp. 191-192)
bucc/o
cec/o
celi/o
cheil/o
chol/e
cholangi/o
cholecyst/o
choledoch/o

col/o
colon/o
dent/i
duoden/o
enter/o
esophag/o
gastr/o
gingiv/o
gloss/o
gluc/o
glyc/o
hepat/o
herni/o
ile/o
jejun/o
labi/o
lingu/o
lip/o
lith/o
odont/o
or/o
palat/o
pancreat/o
proct/o
pylor/o

____________________________Chapter 6 Additional Suffixes and Digestive System Terminology

rect/o
sialaden/o
splen/o
steat/o
stomat/o
Laboratory Tests (p. 193)
liver function tests (LFTs)
stool culture
stool guaiac or Hemoccult test
Clinical Procedures (pp. 193-199)
abdominal ultrasonography (ultrasound or
sonography)

cholangiography
computed tomography (CT)
gastric bypass
gastrointestinal endoscopy
liver biopsy
liver scan
lower gastrointestinal series (barium enema)
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
nasogastric intubation
paracentesis (abdominocentesis)
upper gastrointestinal series

REFERENCE LIST
PowerPoint slides (CD, Evolve): 1-34

Legend

CD
Companion
CD

iTerms

IRM
Instructors
Resource Manual
available on CD
and Evolve

Evolve
Evolve
Resources

PPT
PowerPoint
Slides

MTO
Medical
Terminology
Online

Class Activities are indicated in bold italic.

____________________________Chapter 6 Additional Suffixes and Digestive System Terminology

LESSON 6.1
PRETEST
IRM Exercise Quiz A

BACKGROUND ASSESSMENT
Question: Using the suffixes that you have learned in previous chapters, build terms using the combining
forms that were learned in Chapter 5.
Answer: Answers will vary, but may include gastroenteritis, gastralgia, cheiloplasty, esophagoscopy, and
hepatectomy.
Question: Sometimes a suffix functions independently as a medical term. Give two examples of suffixes
that are also terms, and explain how they are used.
Answer: The suffix -lysis means to break down. When used as a separate word, lysis is often used to
describe a breakdown of cells. Similarly, the suffix -spasm refers to a sudden contraction of muscles, as in
bronchospasm. However, the term spasm can be used alone to describe a sudden muscle contraction.

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION

Sandra was admitted through the emergency department for a suspected bleeding ulcer. Her
symptoms included gastralgia, dyspepsia, and hematemesis. What is the suffix that would tell you
that she had been vomiting?
Guidelines: Hemat/o means blood and -emesis means vomiting. Hematemesis means that the patient has
vomited blood. Gastralgia is stomach pain (gastr/o stomach; -algia pain) and dyspepsia is difficult or painful
digestion (dys- bad, difficult, painful; -pepsia digestion).

OBJECTIVES
Define new
suffixes and use
them with
digestive system
combining
forms.

CONTENT

Introduction (p. 188)

Suffixes (p. 188)

Terminology (p. 191)

TEACHING RESOURCES
PPT 4-13, 26-33
MTO Module 6, Section I, Lessons 1-3
Figure 6-1 Esophageal atresia with
tracheoesophageal fistula (p. 190)
Exercises A-F, I (pp. 203-206)
Review Sheet (pp. 214-215)
Divide the class into three
groups and have each choose a contestant
for a game show. Using flash cards or
transparencies, show the contestants a variety
of suffixes and combining forms (relating to
Class Activity

the digestive system) one at a time. Ask them

to define each word element correctly and
give an example of its use in a term. Award
a point to the first contestant to answer
correctly. When a contestant answers
incorrectly, the team chooses a new
contestant.
Distribute index cards with one
suffix or combining form written on each.
Have students pair up to create a
combined-form term. Have the class decide
what the new term means, and if it is an
accepted term.
Class Activity

Alternatively, write medical terms on index

cards and tape one to each student's back.
Have the students divide into pairs and have
the pairs ask each other yes/no questions to

____________________________Chapter 6 Additional Suffixes and Digestive System Terminology

OBJECTIVES

CONTENT

TEACHING RESOURCES
determine the meaning of the term.
Examples: Is it an A&P term? Is it a
pathology term? Does it refer to the upper
GI system? Does it have a prefix? Students
may ask only one question at a time: then
they must answer a question.

List and explain

laboratory tests,
clinical
procedures, and
abbreviations
common to the
digestive
system.

Laboratory tests, clinical

procedures, and abbreviations
(p. 193)

Laboratory tests (p. 193)

Clinical procedures (p. 193)

Abbreviations (p. 200)

PPT 14-25
MTO Module 6, Section II, Lessons 1-3
MTO Module 6, Section III, Lesson 1
Figure 6-2 (A) Barium enema; (B) small-bowel
follow-through (p. 194)
Figure 6-3 (A) Endoscopic retrograde
cholangiopancreatography; (B) ERCP showing
choledocholithiasis (p. 195)
Figure 6-4 Computed tomographic images
(p. 196)
Figure 6-5 Gastric bypass (p. 197)
Figure 6-6 Esophagogastroduodenoscopy
(p. 198)
Figure 6-7 Colonoscopy and polypectomy
(p. 198)
Exercises D, G, H (pp. 204, 206-207)
Write the names of the
various lab tests, clinical procedures, and
abbreviations discussed in this section on
slips of paper and place them in a bowl or
hat. Have each student pull one out and
describe the purpose or function of the term
written on the slip. If a student does not know
the answer, have the next student provide it.
Class Activity

Divide the class into two teams.

Give each team a different set of flash cards
with the names of laboratory tests, clinical
procedures, or abbreviations related to the
digestive system on them. The teams take
turns showing a card to their opponents, who
have to define the test or procedure, or give
the abbreviated term. Award a point for each
correct answer. However, the presenting team
loses a point for accepting an incorrect
answer or rejecting a correct answer.
Class Activity

Apply your new

knowledge to
understanding
medical terms in
their proper
context, such as
in medical
reports and

Practical applications (p. 201)

MTO Module 6, Section V

Exercise J (p. 208)
Read aloud the Colonoscopy
Report (p. 201). When you read a word or
phrase that is followed by a definition in
brackets, ask students to write down a
Class Activity

____________________________Chapter 6 Additional Suffixes and Digestive System Terminology

OBJECTIVES

CONTENT

records.

Performance
Evaluation

TEACHING RESOURCES
definition for the term or phrase you have
just read. Have the students underline the
accented syllable. Ask students to spell,
analyze, define, and underline the accented
syllables in the following terms included in
the report: colonoscopy, polypectomy,
coloproctoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscope,
and pathology. As a concluding activity, have
students form small groups to answer
questions 1-4 in the report.
ESLR Student Quiz Chapter 06
MTO Module 6, Section I-III quizzes
MTO Module 6 Exam
iTerms Chapter 06

6.1 Homework/Assignments:

6.1 Teachers Notes: