General Anatomy · Cardiovascular System · Medium

Myocardium

Meaning: The thick muscular middle layer of the heart wall that contracts to pump blood.

In practice: A blocked coronary artery starves the myocardium of oxygen, causing chest pain.

Word parts

Many medical words are built from Greek and Latin parts like these, so learning a few helps you work out new terms.

Two questions on related general anatomy words.

Which word means: Cartilaginous joint in which bones are united by fibrocartilage, as at the pubis.

Which word means: The hollow muscular organ in the pelvis that stores urine until it is passed.

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