Medical Terminology Quiz for Coders

What this set covers

Each explanation breaks the term into its word parts, so you can decode similar terms on exam day. You see the answers only after you respond.

1. An operative report describes an "appendectomy". What does the suffix "-ectomy" tell the coder about the procedure?
2. Which term describes the creation of a surgical opening from the colon through the abdominal wall?
3. A physician documents "dysphagia". What problem does the patient have?
4. A patient has a heart rate of 48 beats per minute, documented as "bradycardia". What does the prefix "brady-" mean?
5. An imaging report notes "hepatomegaly". Which organ is affected, and how?
6. A wound is documented on the "distal" forearm. Where is it located?
7. Which procedure is a "cholecystectomy"?
8. A diagnosis reads "pericarditis". What does the prefix "peri-" mean in this term?
9. A dermatology note describes thick patches called "leukoplakia" on a patient's tongue. What does the prefix "leuk(o)-" indicate about the patches?
10. A patient reports aching in both knees. On exam, the physician finds no swelling, warmth, or redness and documents joint pain only. Which term best matches this documentation?
11. A child with an undescended testis has surgery. The surgeon brings the testis down into the scrotum and secures it in place with sutures. Which term describes this procedure?
12. A cardiologist reviews an "angiogram" and dictates a report on the findings. What does the suffix "-gram" refer to in this term?
13. A patient with severe flank pain is diagnosed with "nephrolithiasis." Which organ does the root word in this diagnosis identify?
14. After a stroke, a patient cannot move the right arm or the right leg. The physician documents "hemiplegia." What does the prefix "hemi-" mean in this term?
15. A patient is losing large amounts of protein in the urine. The nephrologist documents a degenerative kidney disorder and specifically notes that there is no inflammation. Which term best fits this documentation?
16. A patient has large stones in the urinary bladder. The surgeon cuts into the bladder, removes the stones, and then closes the bladder. No permanent opening is left, and no bladder tissue is removed. Which term describes the main surgical action on the bladder?
17. A gastroenterologist passes a flexible, lighted instrument with a camera through the anus. The physician directly views the lining of the entire large intestine to look for polyps. Which term describes this procedure?
18. An operative report for a patient with a pelvic mass states that a left salpingo-oophorectomy was performed. Based on the root words, which structures were removed?
19. At a well-baby visit, an infant's head circumference measures far below the expected range for age. The pediatrician documents "microcephaly." What does the prefix "micro-" mean in this term?
20. A patient's small intestine was torn in a motor vehicle accident. In the operative report, the surgeon states that the edges of the tear were simply sewn together. No tissue was removed, no opening to the skin was created, and the bowel was not reshaped. Which term describes this procedure?
21. A 50-year-old woman is scheduled for a screening "mammography." What does the suffix "-graphy" tell you about this service?
22. A patient develops fever, confusion, and seizures after a viral illness. Imaging and spinal fluid studies support the physician's diagnosis of "encephalitis." Based on the root word, which organ is inflamed?
23. After shouting for hours at a football game, a patient presents with hoarseness and an almost complete loss of voice. The physician documents "laryngitis." Based on the root word, which structure is inflamed?
24. A dermatologist excises a skin lesion. The pathology report states that the lesion extends through the epidermis into the underlying layer, which contains blood vessels, nerve endings, hair follicles, and sweat glands, but does not reach the fatty tissue below. Which layer did the lesion reach?
25. A 7-year-old falls from playground equipment. The X-ray shows a forearm fracture in which the bone has broken through the cortex on one side and is only bent on the opposite side. The skin is intact. Which fracture type is this?
26. A 52-year-old painter has shoulder pain and weakness when lifting his arm. An MRI confirms a rotator cuff tear. Which muscle is NOT one of the rotator cuff muscles?
27. An echocardiogram report notes regurgitation through the valve that normally stops blood from flowing back from the left ventricle into the left atrium. Which valve is affected?
28. A toddler is brought to the emergency department after inhaling a peanut. On bronchoscopy, the foreign body is found in the airway where aspirated objects most often lodge, because this airway is wider, shorter, and more vertical than its counterpart. Where is the peanut most likely located?
29. A 46-year-old woman has recurrent kidney stones and a high serum calcium level. Imaging shows a small adenoma in one of the pea-sized glands on the posterior surface of the thyroid. Which gland is affected?
30. A 38-year-old patient with myasthenia gravis undergoes surgical removal of a lymphoid organ in the anterior mediastinum, behind the sternum. This organ is most active in childhood and shrinks after puberty. Which type of immune cell matures in this organ?
31. A pathology report on a pigmented skin lesion describes melanoma in situ. The atypical melanocytes are confined to the epidermis and lie along its deepest layer, the single row of dividing cells resting on the basement membrane. Which epidermal layer is described?
32. A 70-year-old woman slips on ice and lands on her outstretched hand. The X-ray shows a fracture of the distal radius with the distal fragment displaced dorsally, producing a 'dinner fork' deformity of the wrist. Which fracture is this?
33. A 22-year-old soccer player feels a pop in his knee while pivoting, and the knee swells right away. An MRI confirms a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament. This ligament connects which two bones?
34. A 24-year-old sustains a spinal cord injury at the C2 level in a diving accident and cannot breathe without a ventilator. The injury cut off the nerve supply to the diaphragm. From which spinal cord levels does this nerve supply arise?
35. A 3-year-old with repeated middle ear infections and persistent fluid behind the eardrum has tympanostomy tubes placed. The fluid builds up because the passage that normally drains the middle ear and equalizes its pressure is not working well. Which structure connects the middle ear to the nasopharynx?
36. A 41-year-old has episodes of pounding headache, heavy sweating, palpitations, and very high blood pressure. Urine testing shows elevated catecholamine breakdown products, and imaging finds a tumor in the inner portion (medulla) of one adrenal gland. Which hormones does this part of the gland normally secrete?
37. After an esophagectomy, a patient's chest tube drains milky, fat-rich fluid, consistent with chylothorax. The surgeon suspects injury to the body's largest lymphatic vessel. This vessel carries lymph from both lower limbs, the abdomen, and the left side of the upper body, and it empties into the venous system near where the left subclavian and left internal jugular veins join. Which vessel is this?
38. A podiatrist biopsies a lesion on the sole of a patient's foot. The pathologist describes a thin, translucent band of flattened dead keratinocytes just beneath the outermost cornified layer. This layer is normally found only in the thick skin of the palms and soles. Which layer is described?