How to Pronounce Choledochotomy

Say it like this: koh-led-oh-KOT-oh-mee. Break it into five syllables, and stress (say louder) the fourth syllable: KOT. The first part sounds like "koh-LED," the middle part is "oh," and the ending is "toh-mee."

The stress falls on the fourth syllable: KOT. A common mistake is stressing the second syllable (LED) instead, which makes it sound wrong. Remember: koh-led-oh-KOT-oh-mee.

The word has three Greek roots: "chol" (bile), "edoch" (to receive or contain), and "tomy" (a surgical cut or incision). Put together, it means a surgical cut into the bile duct—the tube that carries bile.

The ending '-tomy' is a Greek root that means "to cut" or "surgical incision into." You'll see it in many surgery names, like vasectomy (cutting a vessel) or gastrotomy (cutting into the stomach).

Choledochotomy means a surgical incision made into the common bile duct. It's a procedure where a surgeon makes a cut to access the bile duct, usually to remove something blocking it or to inspect it.

The common bile duct is the tube in your body that carries bile (a digestive liquid) from the liver and gallbladder to the small intestine. The word 'choledoch' refers specifically to this duct, so choledochotomy means cutting into this particular tube.

Yes! Choledocholithiasis (stones in the bile duct) and choledochitis (inflammation of the bile duct) share the same root. Any medical word starting with 'choledoch' is talking about the common bile duct.

You might hear: "The surgeon performed a choledochotomy to remove the bile duct stone." This sentence tells you it's a surgical procedure involving the bile duct.