pneumoperitoneum
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˌnjuːmoʊpərɪtəˈnoʊm/
- Specialized
- A sudden pneumoperitoneum can indicate a perforated ulcer or other serious abdominal injury.
Examples
-
The surgeon identified a pneumoperitoneum on the patient's X-ray after the accident.
-
Doctors use imaging techniques to detect pneumoperitoneum in emergency situations.
-
The doctor diagnosed her with pneumoperitoneum after reviewing the scans.
-
A pneumoperitoneum can indicate a serious medical condition.
-
The surgeon identified a pneumoperitoneum on the patient's X-ray after the accident.
-
A sudden pneumoperitoneum can indicate a perforated ulcer or other serious abdominal injury.
-
Doctors use imaging techniques to detect pneumoperitoneum in emergency situations.
How Inflated
Surface Forms
Morphology
pneumoperitoneum = peritoneum (opaque) = pneumo + peritoneum
The combining form 'pneumo-' and the anatomical term 'peritoneum' are specialist medical vocabulary not transparent to average learners.
Etymology
Pneumoperitoneum comes from the parts pneumo- ('air' or 'breath') and peritoneum (the lining 'around' the belly). So a pneumoperitoneum is air inside the belly lining, and when doctors see it on an X-ray it often points to a serious problem such as a hole in the gut.