Question

myotomy means ______.
a. surgical repair of a muscle
b. surgical incision into a muscle
c. surgical removal of muscle or part of a muscle
d. inflammation of voluntary muscle

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the medical term "myotomy". The prefix "myo-" relates to muscle, and the suffix "-tomy" means surgical incision.

• Option a: Surgical repair is "-plasty" (myoplasty), so a is incorrect.
• Option b: "-tomy" means incision, so myotomy is surgical incision into a muscle.
• Option c: Surgical removal is "-ectomy" (myectomy), so c is incorrect.
• Option d: Inflammation is "-itis" (myositis), so d is incorrect.

Answer:

b. surgical incision into a muscle