6 syllables: cho, le, cys, to, sto, my. Stress on cys.
koh-luh-SIS-tuh-mee
/koʊləˈsɪstəmi/
cholecystostomy is pronounced koh-luh-SIS-tuh-mee (/koʊləˈsɪstəmi/). It has six syllables (cho-le-cys-to-sto-my), with the stress on "cys". Cholecystostomy is a surgical procedure where an opening is made into the gallbladder to allow drainage, typically using a catheter. The term combines Greek roots for bile and gallbladder with the surgical suffix -stomy. It is used in contexts of biliary obstruction or infection when immediate drainage is needed and percutaneous or open approaches may be employed.
Cholecystostomy is a surgical procedure where an opening is made into the gallbladder to allow drainage, typically using a catheter. The term combines Greek roots for bile and gallbladder with the surgical suffix -stomy. It is used in contexts of biliary obstruction or infection when immediate drainage is needed and percutaneous or open approaches may be employed.
"The patient underwent cholecystostomy to relieve gallbladder sepsis."
"Imaging confirmed a biliary obstruction, so a cholecystostomy tube was placed to drain bile."
"During the procedure, the surgeon established a sterile tract for a gallbladder drainage catheter via cholecystostomy."
Pronounce as koʊ-luh-sis-TAW-stuh-mee, with primary stress on the fourth syllable. IPA US: /ˌkoʊ.lə.sɪsˈtɒs.tə.mi/; UK: /ˌkəʊ.lə.sɪsˈtɒs.tə.mi/. Break it into: chole- (koʊ-lə), cysto- (ˈsɪs.toʊ/ depending on blend), -stomy (stə-mi). Mouth positions: start with a rounded back vowel in 'co-' then a schwa for '-le', then crisp 'st' onset in '-stomy'. Audio reference: consult medical pronunciation resources or Forvo with “cholecystostomy” for native clinician pronunciations.
Common errors: misplacing the stress (trying to stress the '-cysto-' part), mispronouncing 'cysto' as 'cy-sto' with a long I smell, and conflating the final '-omy' with '-omy' as in other words. Correction: place primary stress on the fourth syllable: ko-LE-sis-TOS-to-mee and pronounce 'cysto' as SIS-to, not SY-sto, then finish with -stomy as -stə-mē. Practice the blend between 'sis' and 'tos' smoothly to avoid a choppy rhythm.
US tends to reduce some unstressed vowels to schwa and keeps a clear 'tos' before the 'to' syllable; UK maintains similar rhythm but a slightly flatter intonation and non-rhotic r influence is minimal since there is no 'r' after vowels; AU follows US patterns with a slightly longer vowel in the first syllable and a crisp 'stos' before the ending. IPA references: US /ˌkoʊ.lə.sɪsˈtɒs.tə.mi/; UK /ˌkəʊ.lə.sɪsˈtɒs.tə.mi/; AU /ˌkoʊ.lə.sɪsˈtɒs.tə.mi/.
It bundles multiple challenging features: the 'cho-le-cyst-o-' cluster, the 'cysto' syllable with a 's' between vowels, and the 'stomy' ending where 'st' transitions into a 'o' then 'my' with a light 'i'. The sequence can push the jaw and tongue into tight positions, and the word’s length tempts speakers to run syllables together or slur vowels. Focus on segmenting as: cho-le-CYS-to-sto-mee, with deliberate stops and steady vowel quality.
No standard letters are silent in 'cholecystostomy' in medical practice. All syllables contribute to the word’s meaning, and each vowel carries a phonemic value. The challenge is not silent letters but correct articulation of the consonant clusters, especially the 'lcys' and 'st' transitions. Maintain full vowel sounds in each syllable and avoid reducing syllables, which helps in clear communication in clinical settings.
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Cholecystostomy derives from the Greek chole (bile) + cystis (bladder, gallbladder) + stoma (mouth or opening). The medical term cholecystostomy indicates creating a new opening into the gallbladder for drainage. The root chole- appears in cholecystitis and cholelithiasis, reflecting biliary anatomy. The -ostomy suffix comes from Latinized Greek stoma “mouth, opening,” used in medical terms to denote surgically created or artificial openings. First attested in English in the late 19th to early 20th century as surgical vocabulary expanded, with early reports tied to interventional radiology and percutaneous drainage techniques. Its adoption paralleled innovations in biliary interventions, where catheter-assisted drainage became a standard practice in managing biliary obstruction or infection. Over time, cholecystostomy evolved from purely open approaches to include percutaneous methods under radiologic guidance, reinforcing the term as a general descriptor for gallbladder drainage procedures rather than a single technique.
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Words that rhyme with "cholecystostomy"
-omy sounds
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