Spot the correct spelling of a CSF-shunt procedure.

Correct — A. Split the term into its two halves and spell each one.

Ventriculo- is the combining form of ventricle, here a fluid-filled cavity in the brain, joined by the linking vowel -o-.

Peritoneal is the adjective of peritoneum, the membrane lining the abdomen. It starts with peri-, 'around', and keeps the e of -eum before -al.

Ventriculo + peritoneal = Ventriculoperitoneal → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

• (b)
  Ventriculoperitonal — Ventriculoperitonal drops the e before -al. Peritoneum becomes peritone-al, so the adjective ends -oneal, not -onal.
• (c)
  Ventriculaperitoneal — Ventricula- uses a as the linking vowel. The combining form is ventriculo-, with the -o- that joins the parts of compounds such as gastroenterology.
• (d)
  Ventriculoperetoneal — Peretoneal turns peri- into pere-. The prefix is peri-, 'around', as in perimeter and periscope; peritoneum comes from Greek peri, 'around', and teinein, 'to stretch'.

Long medical terms are spelt by assembling parts, not by memorising the whole. Each part has a fixed spelling, and the joins follow a pattern.

A ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is a thin tube that drains cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from a ventricle of the brain into the peritoneal cavity in the abdomen. It is used to treat hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in the brain.

The name spells out the route, from the ventricle to the peritoneum. Once you know the two ends, each option can be checked half by half.

Key facts

• A ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt drains cerebrospinal fluid from a brain ventricle into the abdomen.
• It is used to treat hydrocephalus, an excess of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain.
• Peritoneum comes from Greek peri, 'around', and teinein, 'to stretch'.
• Ventriculo- is the combining form of ventricle.

Common traps

• Dropping the e that peritoneum carries into peritoneal
• Writing ventricula- because the ordinary adjective ventricular has an a

No directly related past PYQ was found.