CPC

This section covers the vocabulary and anatomy behind code selection: word parts and word building, surgical and procedural terms, directional terms, planes and positions, and the structures of each body system that decide which code applies. Medical terminology (4 questions) and anatomy (4 questions) are scored on their own and underlie every surgical question.

Most medical terms are built from three kinds of parts. The root carries the core meaning (usually a body part); a prefix at the front modifies it (location, number, time); a suffix at the end states the procedure, condition, or disease. A combining vowel (usually o) links a root to another root or to a suffix; the root plus its vowel is the combining form (gastr/o).

Read a term from the suffix back to the front: gastr/o/enter/itis is inflammation (-itis) of the stomach (gastr/o) and small intestine (enter/o). The combining vowel is dropped before a suffix that begins with a vowel (gastritis, not gastroitis) but kept between two roots (gastroenteritis).

CombiningForm	Meaning	Example
arthr/o	joint	arthroscopy
oste/o·chondr/o·my/o	bone·cartilage·muscle	osteotomy chondroplasty myotomy , ,
derm/o , dermat/o · cutane/o	skin	dermabrasion subcutaneous ,
cardi/o · angi/o , vas/o · phleb/o ,	heart·vessel·vein	angioplasty phlebectomy ,
ven/o
pneum/o , pulmon/o · bronch/o ·	lung·bronchus·trachea·larynx·nose	bronchoscopy tracheostomy , ,
trache/o·laryng/o·rhin/o		rhinoplasty
gastr/o·enter/o·col/o·proct/o	stomach·smallintestine·colon·rectumandanus	gastrectomy colostomy proctoscopy , ,
hepat/o·chol/e·cholecyst/o·	liver·bile·gallbladder·abdominalwall	cholecystectomy laparoscopy ,
lapar/o
nephr/o , ren/o · ureter/o · cyst/o ·	kidney·ureter·urinarybladder·urethra	nephrolithotomy cystourethroscopy ,
urethr/o
hyster/o , metr/o · oophor/o ·	uterus·ovary·fallopiantube·testis	hysterectomy salpingo- ,
salping/o·orchi/o		oophorectomy orchiectomy ,
neur/o·encephal/o·myel/o	nerve·brain·spinalcordorbonemarrow	neurolysis myelography ,
ophthalm/o , ocul/o · ot/o · mast/o ,	eye·ear·breast	otoplasty mastectomy , ,
mamm/o		mammography

Prefxi hemi - bi -	Meaning half two both ,	1 CodingRelevance hemilaminectomy hemiarthroplasty(onesideoronepartonly) , bilateralprocedures(modifier50oracodethatalreadysays"bilateral")
peri -	around	pericardiocentesis periprostheticfracture ,

Prefixesthatchangecodeselection(Continued)

Prefxi	Meaning	CodingRelevance
endo- · intra-	within·inside	endoscopic approach; intra-articular intramuscular injection ,
sub - · supra-	below·above	subcutaneousvssubfascialtumorexcision;supraclavicular
trans-	through across ,	transurethral transvaginal transcatheterapproaches , ,
hyper- · hypo-	abovenormal·belownormal	hyperglycemiavshypoglycemia(differentdiagnosiscodes)
brady- · tachy-	slow·fast	bradycardiavstachycardia
epi - · para- · inter-	upon·beside·between	epidural paravertebral interspace (spine add -on codes) , ,
a-, an- · dys- · poly-	without·difficultorabnormal·	aphasia dysphagia polyuria , ,
	many

Suffxi	Meaning	Example
-ectomy	excision surgicalremoval ,	appendectomy partialcolectomy ,
-otomy	incision cuttinginto ,	arthrotomy tracheotomy ,
-ostomy	creationofanopening(stoma)	colostomy gastrostomy ,
-plasty	surgicalrepairorreconstruction	arthroplasty angioplasty ,
-rrhaphy	suture repairbysuturing ,	herniorrhaphy tenorrhaphy ,
-pexy	surgicalfixation	orchiopexy nephropexy ,
-desis	binding fusion ,	arthrodesis(jointorspinalfusion)
-centesis	puncturetowithdrawfluid	paracentesis arthrocentesis thoracentesis , ,
-scopy	visualexaminationwithascope	colonoscopy cystoscopy ,
-lysis	freeing breakingdown ,	enterolysis neurolysis adhesiolysis , ,
-tripsy	crushing	lithotripsy
-graphy · -gram	processofrecording·therecord	angiography(theprocedure)producesanangiogram(theimage)
	produced

Suffxi	Meaning	Example
-itis	inflammation	appendicitis arthritis ,
-osis	abnormalcondition	stenosis cirrhosis osteoporosis , ,
-megaly -algia · -dynia -emia	enlargement pain bloodcondition	cardiomegaly hepatosplenomegaly , arthralgia myalgia , anemia hyperkalemia septicemia , ,	1

Diagnosticsuffixes(Continued)

Suffxi	Meaning	Example
-penia	deficiency	thrombocytopenia neutropenia ,
-oma · -pathy	tumor , mass · disease	lipoma neuropathy ,

One letter separates three different procedures: colotomy (incision into the colon), colectomy (removal of all or part of the colon), and colostomy (bringing the colon to the skin as a stoma). Read the suffix before searching the CPT® Index.